Tag Archives: Nutrition

An Easy Way to Smoke Pears

Andrea Slonecker By on

Yes, you can smoke fruit! There are a variety of methods for smoking foods, from using a dedicated outdoor hot smoker, to DIY cold smoking in your oven, but this technique for infusing pears with smoky flavor is as easy as they come. All you need is a charcoal grill, wood chips, and a disposable aluminum pan—no special equipment required and no risk of setting off the smoke alarm in your kitchen. The truly exceptional thing about this technique is that you don’t even have to get the grill out just to smoke the pears since the pears are added to the grill after it’s used to cook something else, when the coals turn to embers. So while your family enjoys a late-summer meal on the patio, the residual heat still emitting from the grill is just enough to delicately Continue reading →

5 Recipes to Pear Up For Better Breakfast Month

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September is Better Breakfast Month, which means it’s the perfect time to make eating a healthy breakfast a priority in your daily routine. This month also happens to be when sweet and juicy Northwest pears are in season and available at grocery stores everywhere. One medium-sized pear contains 6 grams of fiber and only 100 calories, so it will keep you full without loading you with sugar and fat. Besides being nutritious, pears are incredibly versatile as an ingredient and this is especially true when it comes to whipping up a wholesome breakfast! From oatmeal to smoothies, pears are a delicious way to step up your game for Better Breakfast Month. 1. Instant Pot Pear Oatmeal Jars The Instant Pot, that magical cooking appliance that allows you to do everything from sautéing to pressure-cooking, is all the rage right now. Continue reading →

Why Nutrition Buzzwords Aren’t Worth the Buzz

Amy Kweller MS, RD By on

Scrolling through the health news can be interesting, exciting even, and downright maddening! Popular media suggests some interesting things about the public concept of nutrition – and it isn’t founded in science. Beware! Nutrition buzzwords are a part of media campaigns aimed at selling products, diets, books, or supplements, and they’re pretty successful. Here are a handful of the popular buzzwords that make me roll my eyes, and why we should stop using them. Clean eating: What exactly is a “clean” or “real” food? Carefully choosing minimally processed foods is reasonable, but excessive restriction can cause nutritional inadequacy. Cleanse or detox: Your liver and kidneys already do this, so don’t waste your money or starve yourself. Plus, these extreme measures can be dangerous! “Boost” or “jump start” your metabolism: This simply doesn’t mean anything. Superfoods: No capes here. Just because Continue reading →

Pear Kimchi

Andrea Slonecker By on
Pear Kimchi

Sweet pears and spicy flavors make for a winning combination. Kimchi, the mainstay of every Korean table, has been gaining mass appeal in recent years. Prized for its health benefits and irresistible spiciness, kimchi is becoming a staple condiment in many homes. If you’ve never made your own, then this version, featuring pears and crunchy root vegetables, is a great place to start. This is a quick kimchi recipe, meant to enjoy immediately. Serve it alongside a simple roast pork with steamed rice and sautéed greens, add it to a vegan grain bowl, place it atop ramen noodles or in lettuce wraps—you’ll find that the ways to enjoy fresh kimchi are endless. Makes 8 to 10 servings Ingredients:  2 large white root vegetables, such as kohlrabi or turnips 2 large slightly underripe USA Pears 1/4 cup kosher salt 1/4 cup Continue reading →

To Snack or Not to Snack? Intuitive Eating Answers the Question

Amy Kweller MS, RD By on

That is the question of the hour! Popular media is full of nutrition advice, often encouraging wacky diets that cut specific food groups, macronutrients, or favorites. (Like cupcakes, I can’t live without cupcakes!) In this landscape of restrictive eating, I see people struggling with the constant merry-go-round of weight loss, weight gain, loss, gain… I know people not eating for long stretches each day or only eating every other day. The truth is, most of us can lose weight if we’re motivated. But, diets don’t teach us to listen to our bodies, which can lead to weight gain. Intuitive eating is a lifestyle strategy that encourages mindfulness – listening to your body, rather than telling it what to do. It’s not a radical concept, but it’s one that encourages a healthy relationship with food and the body. By letting go Continue reading →

5 Tips for Plant-Powering Your Eating Style

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Plant-based eating is hot, hot, hot! More and more people are turning away from the traditional American plate – with a slab of meat at the center – towards a gorgeous, colorful, plant-centric plate filled with pulses (beans, lentils, peas), whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. No wonder this eating style is catching on—it’s downright delicious! From a whole grain bowl filled with chickpeas, pears and sunflower seeds, to a homemade veggie burger with avocado slices, there are so many delicious offerings. A plant-based diet doesn’t mean that you have to give up meat altogether if you don’t want to; it just means that your diet focuses mostly on plants. This flexitarian eating style is linked with a boatload of benefits, such as lower risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer and obesity, as well Continue reading →

5 Pear Salads To Freshen Up Your Spring

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When you think of spring, what comes to mind? Nourishment, freshness and rejuvenation may all describe it, and not just the season but also your diet and lifestyle. If you’re the type who hibernates all winter, then spring is ideal from coming out of your shell and embracing healthy choices and better eating habits before summer hits. Besides their sweetness, pears make a great addition to salads as a way to elevate the nutritional value of the dish. One medium-sized pear packs 6 grams of fiber and contains zero sodium, fat or cholesterol, so you get all of the flavor and texture without the unhealthiness. Plus, when it comes salads, there are endless pear-ssibilities! We recommend kicking off spring with these five flavorful pear salads to suit any occasion. 1. Grilled and Fresh Pear Salad with Chile Oil and Togarashi Try Continue reading →

6 Ways to Eat Well, Waste Less and Save Money

Amy Kweller MS, RD By on

Each March ushers in spring and National Nutrition Month! This annual celebration of nourishing the body through food began with the presidential proclamation of National Nutrition Week in 1973. This year’s theme is Go Further with Food, which encourages us to achieve the benefits of eating well while reducing food waste. In other words, planning and managing food resources will save both nutrients and money! The message of eating well while saving money is particularly close to my heart, and who doesn’t want more money in the bank? We can also think about nutrition status as a bank. We have nutrients stored in the body; when we eat we make a deposit and when we’re active we make a withdrawal. Throughout the day, the goal is to maintain appropriate fuel for living our best lives, and the same idea is Continue reading →

3 Simple Ways to Spring Clean Your Diet

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They say that summer bodies are made during the winter. If that’s the case, what happens during spring? For many of us, when spring has finally sprung, crunch time inevitably has as well. Say goodbye to wintertime excuses and say hello to a version of yourself that looks and feels the way that you want to. Spring is a time of renewal and growth, after all! To start summer with a clean slate, it’s crucial to look at what you put on your plate. Here are 3 ways to do so: 1. Fiber up – When it comes to cleaning up their diets, most people focus on what they can’t have, rather than what they can have. This notion of deprivation can make eating healthily seem, well, dreadful and depressing. Fear not: clean eating need NOT involve deprivation, dread, or depression. One of the most simple, enjoyable, and effective ways to make healthy and sustainable lifestyle changes actually comes down to adding MORE to your diet—adding more fiber, that is. A diet rich Continue reading →

Cast-Iron Skillet Roasted Pears with Hearty Whole-Grain Panzanella (Vegan)

Andrea Slonecker By on

A good cast-iron pan works wonders on pears. When just-ripe Anjous are cut in half and seared in a hot skillet then placed in the oven, it brings out a rich and roasty caramelized flavor that renders the pears entrée worthy. They take on depth of flavor and luscious texture to make them a deliciously satisfying substitute for meat, whether you practice a vegetarian or vegan diet, or are just looking to reduce the amount of meat you consume. Here the roasted pears are offered with a warm, whole-grain panzanella, that ubiquitous Italian bread salad usually involving fruity tomatoes and basil in the height of summer. Fruity roasted pears are a perfect alternative at the end of winter. Packed with hearty greens and chicories, olives, and a maple-scallion dressing, this recipe makes for a nutritious one-dish meal. Serves 4-6 Ingredients: Continue reading →