Category: Healthy Recipes

Pharmacist Shares Immune Boosting Granola Recipe

Post author By Kristin
Post date November 19, 2020
No Comments on Pharmacist Shares Immune Boosting Granola Recipe

Customers are flooding into local pharmacies in search of immune boosting supplements. Many of these immune boosting ingredients can easily be included in your diet. It’s much less expensive to eat your vitamins than to purchase supplements. I’m a pharmacist and I would love to share my recipe for Immune Boosting Granola. Granola is a quick and easy breakfast or snack that can easily be added to any daily meal plan. Add some to you favorite yogurt or just pack it for a quick and easy snack.

Disclaimer: The statements made regarding this recipe have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The efficacy of this recipe has not been confirmed by FDA-approved research. This recipe is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Immune Boosting Nutrients

In order to make an immune boosting recipe, one first needs to know which nutrients are known to boost immunity. I have compiled a list of immune boosting vitamins and minerals, because adding more to your diet can help boost your immunity.

Vitamin C- There is research to support Vitamin C supplementation in reducing the length and severity of respiratory infections.¹ Vitamin C plays an important role in immune response.

Zinc – Plenty of research is certainly available supporting zinc supplementation in reducing the length and severity of infections.¹ Zinc is an important player in immune response.

Vitamin D – There is some evidence that vitamin D could reduce the risk of Influenza and COVID-19 infections and death.²

Vitamin B6- A deficiency in Vitamin B6 reduces your ability to make antibodies to fight off infection. Vitamin B6 could help strengthen immunity.³

Vitamin E- Immune response is enhanced by Vitamin E. It can provide protection against infections.⁴

Selenium- The immune system relies on adequate dietary selenium.⁵

Immune Boosting Ingredients

I selected my granola ingredients to include as many immune boosting vitamins and minerals as possible so they can help boost immunity. Here is a list of my ingredients because it is important to understand why they were included in my recipe.

Elderberry syrup (find it here): Elderberry syrup is also used to enhance immunity. Elderberries are high in flavonoids, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. It may also help reduce symptoms of viral infections by stimulating immune response.⁶
Matcha (find it here): Another natural superfood, matcha is green tea powder. It is made by grinding green tea leaves into a fine powder. Regular consumption of green tea could decrease influenza infection rates and cold symptoms.⁷
Hemp hearts(find them here), pumpkin seeds and Flax Seeds: I included all of these mostly for the zinc and omega 3 and 6. These polyunsaturated fats also have been extensively studied for their role in immune health.⁸
Nuts: These serve as a good source of selenium and zinc. I also chose Brazil nuts because they have the highest amount of selenium. Cashews are also high in zinc.
Sunflower seeds: These seeds also have some healthy fats, but I chose them mostly because they are an excellent source of vitamin E. They are also a good source of selenium and vitamin B6.
Ginger: Can also help reduce the severity of respiratory infections.⁹
Blueberries: Another natural superfood. Blueberries are a good source of Vitamin C. I included them because they are one of the best sources of antioxidants, mostly flavonoids.

Immune Boosting Granola Recipe

Ingredients:

4 Cups Oats

1 Cup mixed nuts (cashews, almonds, and Brazil nuts)

1/4 Cup sunflower seeds

1 Cup shelled pumpkin seeds

1/4 Cup hemp hearts

1 Tablespoon matcha powder

2 Tablespoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt

2 Tablespoons flax seed

1/3 Cup dried cranberries

1/2 Cup shredded dry coconut

1/3 Cup dried blueberries

1/2 Cup honey

1/3 Cup Peanut butter

2 Tablespoons Elderberry Syrup

1/3 Cup coconut oil

Directions:

First preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together the oats, nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, matcha, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and flax seed. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl mix the peanut butter, coconut oil, honey, elderberry syrup. Once mixed, pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until evenly coated.

Cover a Jelly Roll Pan with parchment paper. Spread the granola over the paper. Bake for 15 min. Remove from the oven and mix in the dried coconut. Bake for 10 more minutes. Remove and mix again. If the coconut is not completely toasted, bake for 2 more minutes or until most of the coconut is toasted but not burnt. Lastly, remove from the oven and stir in the dried fruit while the granola is still warm. Finally, allow the granola to cool to room temperature. Although it is difficult not to finish it all in one sitting, you may have some leftover. If so, you can store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Immune Boosting Granola Served with Yogurt

Immune-Boosting-Granola Printable recipe

Granola makes a great gift!

References:

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases.

Appetizers Healthy Recipes Recipes

Easy DIY Guacamole Recipe

Post author By Kristin
Post date September 16, 2020
No Comments on Easy DIY Guacamole Recipe

Photo by Tessa Rampersad on Unsplash

Today is national guacamole day! So I thought I should share my favorite guacamole recipe. Be sure to check out my links below to learn how to pit an avocado with a chef knife and how to mince garlic without a garlic press. DIY guacamole sure beats buying the store bought variety. Enjoy my favorite authentic guacamole recipe.

How to make guacamole

Easy guacamole recipe:

Guacamole Ingredients:

3 Avocados

1 medium onion finely chopped

3 garlic cloves

juice of one lime

3 Roma tomatoes diced

2-3 jalapenos diced

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro minced

Directions:

Pit peel and mash the avocados. See how to pit an avocado for a quick tutorial. Mince the garlic. See how to mince garlic without a garlic press. Slice the lime in half, to obtain more juice place the halves in a microwave for 15 seconds before juicing. Mix all ingredients. Enjoy this guacamole recipe with tortilla chips.

Love jalapenos? Check out my jalapeno popper recipe.

Need more Appetizer and dip ideas? Check out these suggestions.

How do you pit an avocado?

Slicing and pitting an avocado is a simple process if you know what you are doing. All you need is a chef knife a kitchen towel a cutting board and a spoon to scoop out the delicious nutritious fruit. Anyone can enjoy making their own guacamole!

, you

How do you mince garlic without a garlic press?

I’m not a big fan of crowding my kitchen with tools and utensils that are only able to form one task, uni-taskers as Alton Brown likes to say. One thing no kitchen needs is a garlic press. It is so easy to peel and mince garlic with a good quality chef knife. The Chef knife can be used for may other things and takes up less space than a garlic press. Every kitchen needs a chef knife, no kitchen needs a garlic press. Enjoy making your own home meds guacamole!

Is Guacamole good for you?

All of the ingredients in guacamole except for salt are very healthy. Most of the benefits of guacamole are in the healthy fruits and vegetables. Avocados are an excellent source of healthy fats, fiber, and many vitamins. Onions, tomatoes, peppers, limes and garlic are all healthy fruits and vegetables. The only unhealthy thing about eating guacamole is that it is most often served with tortilla chips.

Do you have to serve guacamole with tortilla chips?

If you want to keep your guacamole healthy you can exchange the tortilla chips for baked whole grain pita chips, or spread it on a slice of whole wheat toast. You can also use it as a sandwich spread along with other healthy sandwich topping such as turkey, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, on whole wheat bread or wrapped in a whole grain tortilla. Guacamole also makes a great side for eggs or chicken breast.

Be sure to follow us on social media!

Easy-Guacamole-Recipe_Download

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualified purchases.

Healthy Recipes Recipes Sides

Best Beet Green Recipe

Sauteed beet greens

Why I eat Beet Greens and you should too

I have to credit my father-in-law for this delicious sauteed beet green recipe. He is quite the chef. I’ll probably have plenty more of his tasty recipes to share. This one is a delicious way to use a food many people throw away! Wasting food is terrible, but wasting delicious and nutritious food is even worse. According to Jo Robinson, author of Eating on the Wild Side, beet greens are more nutritious than the beets themselves.

My father-in-law was a child during world war II. Because if this he grew up learning to use all of the food that was provided. Some of his childhood stories make 2020 sound like a picnic. Next time your teens are complaining about wearing masks or giving up football have them read Stolen Childhood. This book is a story similar to what my father-in-law went through and a great explanation for why he has so many tips and tricks for using up left overs and scraps. Through him I learned that beet greens are not scraps!

Where to find Beet Greens

Back to the beets. First you will have to find beets with the greens still attached. Many chain grocery stores will remove them and throw them away! I know it’s really sad. You could grow them your self, find them at a farmers market or a good organic produce store. Don’t get discouraged. If you do manage to find beets with the greens attached, as an added bonus you will know you have found yourself a fresh beet. The beet roots will last a long time on the grocers shelf, but the greens will begin to wilt sooner, which is probably why they tend to remove them. Buy beets with the greens!

Sauteed Beet Greens Recipe

Now for the sauteed beet greens recipe. Start by removing the greens from the beets. Save the beets for later. I’ll share some great beet recipes soon.

Ingredients:

Stems and leaves form 3 beets

1 medium onion

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup sour cream

Directions:

Soak the beet greens and thoroughly wash them.

Chop the stems and leaves. Set aside Mince one onion. Sauté onion in a frying pan with the olive oil until softened. Add the chopped stems and leaves and continue to sauté until softened. Add the lemon juice and toss to coat.

Sauteed beet greens with onions and lemon juice

Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream.

Prepared beet greens

Serve warm. This dish makes a delicious side for beef or chicken.

As an amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Sauteed-Beet-Greens Print Recipe

Tags beet green recipe, beet greens and stems, beet greens are healthy, beet stem recipe, can you eat beet greens, healthy eating, sauteed beet greens, what to do with beet stems