Healthy Recipe Thursday: Roasted Asparagus with Garlic

Roasting preserves the flavor and color of asparagus without making it tough or stringy

1 lb. fresh asparagus (medium width)
2 tsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Lemon wedges, as garnish

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Rinse asparagus and break off tough ends.

In shallow roasting pan, place asparagus and coat with oil.  Sprinkle with garlic and salt and pepper, to taste.

Roast uncovered for 6-8 minutes (depending on width of spears), shaking pan occasionally.  Serve with lemon wedges.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 47 Calories, 3 g Total Fat (<1 g Saturated Fat), 5 g Carbohydrate,
4 g Protein, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 3 mg Sodium.

Recipe adapted from American Institute of Cancer Research

Eating Local and Organic on a Budget

Taking care of your body and eating healthy is the best investment you can make for your future. It is true that we are what we eat, and if we eat an abundance of pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, genetically modified, and artificial foods; we're just asking for health problems and suffering later in life. With rising healthcare costs, the money you saved early on from eating fast food will not even compare to the emotional toll on your body and dent in your bank account!

I know what you're thinking. How can a college student afford to eat healthy and organic? You're right. It's expensive, and even though it's the right choice, what do you do if you don't have the money right now? I'm excited to tell you about a few options and choices you can make to keep your grocery shopping costs to a minimum while still taking care of yourself!

When it comes to eating organic; there are a selected few that are incredibly high in pesticides that you should always purchase organic, or not at all. These items are known as 'The Dirty Dozen':

The Dirty Dozen - always purchase organic
Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Domestic blueberries
Nectarines
Sweet bell peppers
Spinach, kale and collard greens
Cherries
Potatoes
Imported grapes
Lettuce

On the other side of things, we can count on 'The Clean 15' that contain little to no pesticides, and are okay to buy conventional.

The Clean 15- The outer layer provides protection from pesticides
Onions
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Mango
Sweet peas
Asparagus
Kiwi fruit
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet potatoes
Sweet onions

Reference: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/01/dirty.dozen.produce.pesticide/index.html

Better than buying organic is buying local. When buying local; you are supporting your local farmers, investing in the community, and reducing the environmental impact of congestion and pollution. Here are some Farmers Markets in the Full Sail area:

Winter Park Farmers Market

Audubon Community Market

Orlando Farmers Market

Also, check out Homegorwn Local Food Cooperative  who's mission is "to ensure convenient access and consistent supply of locally grown foods that are ethical, organic and sustainable in production to the communities of Central Florida. Our mission is to support the production, promotion and distribution of these foods throughout our region. We also strive to educate the community about the products we sell (and choose not to sell). This is our contribution to a healthier, better informed community."

With all of these options,  you can feel good about saving money and knowing you're making the right choices for your health! 

If you have more to add to this list, please respond in the comments section so everyone can know where to buy more local and organic food. That way, we can make better choices together!

Healthy Recipe Thursdays: Super Simple Pasta Recipe

Super Simple Pasta Recipe

Perfect recipe to save money and time! It's meant to be made with pasta, but you can use rice, quinoa, or any kind of grain! This recipe is adapted from 101 Cookbooks!

I used thin, egg noodles here, but spaghetti, angel hair, or fettuccine would all work as well.

8 ounces cooked pasta
2 eggs
fine grain sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 big handfuls of sliced asparagus, and/or pea shoots, or tiny broccoli trees, or shredded greens - anything quick cooking and fresh

chopped avocado

chopped herbs

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Use your fingers to fluff up the leftover pasta a bit, so its not clumpy or stuck together. Set aside.

In a small bowl crack the eggs and beat them really well with a pinch of salt.

In a big skillet melt the oil and butter over medium high heat. If you're using a vegetable that might take longer to cook than others, add those to the pan - for example, asparagus or broccoli. Add a couple pinches of salt, stir, cover, and cook for a couple minutes. Until the vegetables are bright, and just cooked. Now stir in anything that just needs a quick flash of cooking - in this case pea greens, but chopped greens would go in at this point if you're using those. Stir, and cook just until tender - a minute or so. Pull about 1/3 of the vegetables out of the pan and set them aside.

Now, add the pasta to the skillet, and toss well. Once the pasta is hot, turn down the heat, wait a moment, then quickly stir in the eggs. Stir well, then cover the pan, remove from heat, and let everything sit for a minute. Uncover, give everything another toss, the egg should be cooked through. Taste, and adjust the seasoning before dividing between two plates. Top with the reserved vegetables, and some chopped avocado.

Serves 2.

Prep time: 5 min - Cook time: 5 min