Do you refuse to buy some fruits or vegetables simply because you do not know what to do with them?
Recently, my youngest son Skyler begged me to buy a mango. I tried to change his mind to a kiwi or an orange, but there was no compromising. He wanted a mango.
I have eaten them in chutney and fruit salads, but I have never tasted this unusual fruit. At that moment, I realized that I was fighting with a child over buying a fruit. He was not asking for candy or pop. He wanted something healthy. What was I thinking?
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I bought the mango and our lives are forever changed. We all like the sharp, sweet taste, and Skyler has one every morning if possible. Just peel and enjoy.
According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, mangoes contain beta carotene, a plant chemical that provides the colour in orange and yellow-hued fruits and vegetables. Beta carotene also has antioxidant properties, protecting cells from destructive forces. It is a precursor of vitamin A, a nutrient important to the strength of teeth, gums, skin and hair. It also is important to vision.
Lime-mango fandango
2 cups peeled and 500 mL
diced mango
1/2 cup sugar, or 125 mL
to taste
1/2 cup lime juice 125 mL
2 cups sparkling 500 mL
water
In a blender, combine the mango, lime juice and sugar on high speed until smooth. Chill and serve over ice. Add sparkling water and stir gently. Serves four.
Tropical smoothie
Recipe from Canadian Living.
2 14 oz./398 mL cans
pineapple tidbits
(packed in juice instead
of sugar)
2 mangoes, chopped or
2 cups/500 mL frozen peaches
1 frozen banana
In a blender or food processor, blend until smooth. You can also add one cup (250 mL) plain yogurt for a creamy drink. Serves four.
Water intake
Do you drink enough water? Most people don’t. We need eight glasses of water daily. If you can’t face guzzling that much H2O, substitute highly diluted fruit juice, herbal tea or a well-watered down sports drink.
Unless you constantly replenish the body’s water supply, the cells start to draw water from your bloodstream. As a result your blood gets sludgy, your heart works harder, and your body starts to redirect blood away from less vital areas. If planning a winter vacation in the sun, remember that a walk on a warm day will increase your water requirement.
The heart-friendly oil
Did you know that canola oil is the oil of choice for a heart-friendly diet? Cooking with canola can be delicious. Check out these sweet treats:
Sunday best chocolate cake
11/2 cups granulated 375 mL
sugar
2/3 cup canola oil 150 mL
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla 10 mL
22/3 cups all-purpose 650 mL
flour
2/3 cup cocoa 150 mL
2 teaspoons baking 10 mL
powder
2 teaspoons baking 10 mL
soda
1 teaspoon salt 5 mL
2 cups boiling water 500 mL
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). In a large bowl beat sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla for four minutes. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with boiling water to the sugar mixture. Beat well after each addition. Pour into an oiled and floured nine x 13 inch (22 x 34 centimetre) cake pan. Bake 40 minutes, or until cake springs back to the touch. Frost when cooled. Yield: 32 pieces.
Banana ginger muffins
11/2 cups all-purpose 375 mL
flour
1/3 cup whole wheat 75 mL
flour
1 tablespoon baking 15 mL
powder
1/2 cup brown sugar, 125 mL
packed
3 tablespoons minced 45 mL
crystallized ginger
1/2 cup rolled oats 125 mL
(not instant)
1 cup mashed banana 250 mL
(about two large)
1 large egg, fork beaten
11/4 cups buttermilk
(or 300 mL reconstituted from powder)
2 tablespoons canola oil 30 mL
1/4 cup maple (or 50 mL
maple-flavoured) syrup
3 tablespoons brown 45 mL
sugar, packed
Combine first six ingredients in large bowl. Make a well in centre. Mix next five ingredients in medium bowl. Pour into well. Stir until just moistened. Do not overmix.
Fill greased muffin cups three-quarters full. Sprinkle with second amount of brown sugar. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and wooden pick inserted in centre of muffin comes out clean. Let stand in pan for five minutes before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely. Makes 12 muffins.
Reprinting is allowed with permission from Heart-Friendly Cooking, Company’s Coming Publishing Ltd., www.companyscoming.com. For more information on canola, check this website, canolainfo.org, or call 306-387-6610.
Life’s stepping stone
As I was reading the book RealAge: Are You as Young as You Can Be? by Dr. Michael Roizen and Elizabeth Ann Stephenson, the phrase “good health is the stepping stone to the rest of life,” caught my attention. It drove home what many seniors or ill people say – look after yourself now to prevent problems in the future.
I also learned about the website www.RealAge.com, and now receive the tip of the day in my e-mail. Here are some samples of tips I thought you might enjoy:
- A recent study of older adults in the British Medical Journal confirms that social activities such as volunteering, dining with friends or just spending time with others may reduce stress, enhance well-being and create a sense of worth and belonging. So make socializing and spending time with loved ones a priority in your life.
- You know that fruits and vegetables are good for you. But growing your own produce can improve your health too. Gardening activities such as shovelling dirt, digging and pulling weeds burn calories, work muscles, improve circulation and can lower blood pressure. There are emotional benefits, since gardening can reduce stress and relieve depression.
- Feel guilty when you sneak a snack? Don’t. A University of Toronto study found that people who ate the equivalent of three meals divided into five or six mini-meals and snacks throughout the day had significantly lower blood cholesterol levels and a lower heart disease risk than people who ate the same amount of food in three sittings.
This does not mean scrapping the idea of three meal times, but rather eat less at these times, and then allow yourself to snack between meals.
Perhaps we should always eat when we are hungry, stop when we are full and make healthy food choices.
Skip the chips and candy bars, and opt for the healthy stuff, such as fruit and other complex carbs, and lean protein.
Reader request
DEAR TEAM: I am looking for a recipe for baked oatmeal. It was served at Redberry Bible Camp for breakfast. The oatmeal was quite firm, not all gooey like regular oatmeal porridge. We put chocolate chips and milk on it. – N.T., Outlook, Sask.
Dear N.T.: I also love to have oatmeal in the morning. It really is a nutritious and warming way to start a winter day. To find the recipe you were looking for, I called and arranged to have the camp cook send this recipe.
The camp is located on Redberry Lake, approximately 90 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. For more information call 306-497 2805.
Baked oatmeal
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil 125 mL
1 cup milk 250 mL
1/2 cup sugar 125 mL
1/2 cup brown sugar 125 mL
3 cups oatmeal 750 mL
1 tablespoon baking 15 mL
powder
1 teaspoon salt 5 mL
You can also add in some chocolate chips, raisins or fruit.
Mix the ingredients and pour into a nine x nine in. (22 x 22 cm) greased pan.
Bake at 350 F (180 C) for 20-25 minutes.
Wax removal
Thank you to reader M.C. for sending in a tip for crayon removal. She suggests using baby oil to remove wax crayon from walls. To remove the oil, wipe with soap and water.
Acetaminophen advisory
Health Canada is advising Canadians about the safe use of products containing acetaminophen. Consumers must read labels of all prescription and over-the-counter medications to avoid accidental overdose of acetaminophen, which can lead to serious liver poisoning and even death.
Acetaminophen overdose is the main cause of acute liver failure in the United States, and most of these cases were unintentional. Since acetaminophen is widely used and present in many preparations available in Canada, it is important to read medication labels carefully.
The public may be unaware of acetaminophen’s presence in preparations for fever, pain, colds and flu. Often, several preparations of the same brand (Tylenol Pain and Tylenol Sinus) or several medications for the same symptoms (e.g. Tylenol Cold, Neo-Citran and Sinutab) are found in the same household and, when used together, can result in an overdose.
For example, the parent of a child with a flu-like illness may use one product to treat the child’s fever and another to treat a runny nose, without realizing that both products contain the same ingredients.
Someone with chronic pain already on pain reliever combination products such as Tylenol No. 3 or Percocet may take an over-the-counter pill for fever without realizing the recommended dose for acetaminophen has been exceeded.
Acetaminophen is safe when used as directed on the label. When in doubt, consumers should consult their physician or pharmacist.
For more information, read Health Canada’s It’s Your Health document about the safe use of medicines at www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/iyh/ or phone 613-957-2991.
Jodie Mirosovsky is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.
