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Feb 12
Love0

Give Me Some Sugar: Brown Bag Makes Valentine’s Day Sweeter

By BBBlog

Did you know Brown Bag has a Valentine’s special going?  it’s small and sweet, like an edible card you might say, to spread a little love to the whole office or family (or just that one, special someone). It’s a beautiful, little platter of heart-shaped, frosted sugar cookies for $3.25/person—because we like to make your life a little easier.  But if you like to cook and you can find the time, if you’re thinking, “This year, I’m going to cook something special,” then keep reading.  We have a couple of ideas that we think you might like.

How about starting off (or finishing up) with Roasted Strawberry Fruit Dip with Dark Chocolate?  This recipe is delicious and nutritious.  Just look at all the fresh, natural ingredients (not to mention a couple of super foods thrown in for good measure!)!  To make this, hit your local grocery store (no specialty stores involved) and grab 12 ounces of fresh strawberries, agave nectar or honey, vanilla extract, plain, non-fat Greek yogurt, dark chocolate, and assorted fruits for dipping (like bananas, extra strawberries, raspberries, pineapple, or anything else your tongue is telling you).  To make the dip, just snip off the tops of your strawberries, cut them in half and mix them with the agave nectar or honey and vanilla extract, then bake them in the oven for about 18 minutes.  After that, puree the strawberries with a hand mixer, blender or food processor, stir in the yogurt and top it with chocolate shavings!  Voila!  A sweet snack in everyone’s favorite Valentine’s Day color!

Sticking with the prescribed color palette, how about waking someone up with a Pink Smoothie? Surprise him/her with a berry-healthy (and delicious) start to their day.  Here’s what you’ll need: strawberries, cranberries, raspberries, an apple, honey-flavored Greek yogurt, a lemon and carrot juice.  Measure out the proper amounts and throw them all in a blender.  Note:  If you use fresh fruit instead of frozen, throw a few ice cubes into the mix.  If you choose frozen fruit, choose the “no sugar added” variety.

Want to make a great dinner and keep it heart healthy?  Here are a few tips:

1.  Start the meal off with a broth-based soup loaded up with lots of fresh veggies or a big salad with lots of healthy toppings (think nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit, crumbled cheese, and just a touch of dressing.  With all that goodness stacked on top, a taste of dressing will be all you need).

2.  For your main dish, stick to broiling, grilling, or baking to keep it heart healthy.   If you want to go with red meat, choose a filet mignon (or other lean cut of beef), but keep the portion size to about 4 ounces.  Otherwise, consider seafood, skinless chicken breast, or any lean meat.  To go with the meal, load those plates up with veggies–fresh, broiled or grilled.  Or how about quinoa? For more about this protein-packed side, click here.

3.  Since the hallmarks of Valentine’s Day are hearts, flowers and chocolate, dessert seems like a must.  If you forget to order our delicious cookies and you need alternative ideas, consider these:  chocolate fondue with fresh fruits or chocolate pudding, layered with fresh fruits in a fancy glass (think champagne flutes).

Still haven’t found something that speaks to you?  Bring your sweetheart into Brown Bag for breakfast or lunch for his/her choice of healthy cuisine on the fly!  Who doesn’t like a surprise meal out with their loved one?  We’ll be waiting…

Feb 08
Love0

Making Rice Safer: Tips from Brown Bag

By BBBlog

Recently, Consumer Reports did an expose of sorts on rice; specifically, arsenic levels in rice.  What they found was surprising and a little scary.  After testing more than 200 samples of different kinds of rice products across brands (including well-known brands, store brands, organic products, as well as products targeted to gluten-free consumers), they found significant levels of inorganic arsenic, as well as organic arsenic, in almost all of them. Inorganic arsenic is a known carcinogen and can set children up for other health problems later in life; organic arsenic is less toxic, but still very worrying.

How do these products come to contain so much arsenic?  According to Consumer Reports, “The U.S. is the world’s leading user of arsenic, and since 1910, about 1.6 million tons have been used for agricultural and industrial purposes, about half of it only since the mid-1960s. Residues from the decades of use of lead-arsenate insecticides linger in agricultural soil today, even though their use was banned in the 1980s. Other arsenical ingredients in animal feed to prevent disease and promote growth are still permitted. Moreover, fertilizer made from poultry waste can contaminate crops with inorganic arsenic.”

Now that we know the arsenic is there, what do we do about it?  How can we make our food safer and what kinds of precautions should consumers take in relation to rice and rice products?  Here are a few suggestions:

Rinse your rice—really well.  It usually takes 4 to 6 rinses of your rice for the water to remain clear.  Studies show that thoroughly rinsing your rice reduces the arsenic content by about 25 to 30 percent.

Cook and drain your rice—like pasta.  By cooking your rice with 6 parts water to one part rice, you’ll end up with excess water at the end of the cooking process.  Just drain the excess water off of the rice after cooking.  The FDA reports that rinsing and draining your rice can cut arsenic levels by 50 to 60 percent.  You should also know that in cases of enriched rices, rinsing and draining will more than likely reduce the amount of added nutrients.

Choose aromatic rices and limit your consumption of brown rices.  Imported basmati and jasmine rices have been shown through testing to contain ½ to 1/8 the amount of inorganic arsenic of regular rices grown in theSouthern US.  Brown rices, on the other hand, hold onto higher levels of arsenic because its bran remains intact, making it a nutritional powerhouse but a larger source of arsenic.  Studies do show that brown rice grown in California and India have much lower levels of arsenic than those grown in the Southern US; so, if you have to have your brown, check its origins.

Look for rices grown in California.  You may think of Cali as the land of fruits and nuts, but now you can add rice to the list.  Tests show that rice grown in California had lower levels of arsenic than rice grown in other parts of the US.

Be careful with your babies!  Feeding rice cereal and rice milk to infants now has limits:  Consumer Reports recommends feeding no more ¼ cup of rice cereal a day to infants and cutting out rice milk entirely.  Gerber, it should be noted, has announced that it now sources its baby cereal rice only from California, rather than the Southern US.

The Consumer Reports study of arsenic in rice is certainly eye-opening, and we encourage you to take a read and examine their charts for levels of arsenic found in many of the products you use every day.  Ask your doctor or pediatrician for any other recommendations or precautions that he/she may have, and get informed.  If you are what you eat, shouldn’t you know what you’re eating?

Jan 18
Love0

Vegans: Vegetarians of a Different Color

By BBBlog

Do you know people who use the words “vegan” and “vegetarian” interchangeably, as if they are one and the same?  Does it drive you nuts or are you sitting there thinking, “I know that’s wrong, but I’m not really sure what a vegans is.”  Here’s your primer.

A vegan is a type of vegetarian who doesn’t eat meat, and also eschews all dairy products, eggs and all animal-derived foods, as well.  Some even refuse foods that are processed using animal products such as white sugar and wine. Veganism isn’t just about what goes into one’s mouth though.  Many vegans also avoid using any product tested on animals or non-food products derived from animals like wool, fur and leather.  A vegetarian, on the other hand, by definition, only abstains from meat—red meat, poultry, and fish—although some vegetarians also include by-products of animal slaughter, such as animal-derived rennet and gelatin, on their list of “don’ts.”

There are also sub-groups of vegetarians like ovo-vegetarians (they include eggs as part of their diet but not dairy products), lacto-vegetarians (include dairy products but no eggs), and ovo-lacto vegetarians (include both eggs and dairy in their diets).  Then, there are pescetarians (they only eat fish, no meat) and semi-vegetarians (who eat no meat, only fish and/or poultry).  Usually these groups define “meat” as the flesh of mammals.  Veganism is said to be a stricter form of vegetarianism.

It’s becoming clearer now, isn’t it, why the terms “vegan” and “vegetarian” are not interchangeable.  Say your friend is a member of the Vegetarian Society and you buy them a leather journal for their birthday—good choice or no?  You’re probably safe, but who knows?  It can be confusing sometimes to know what exactly is appropriate and what is not.  So, maybe we need to get to the root of the decision to go veggie or vegan in the first place.

According to Vegan Action veganism is “the natural extension of vegetarianism, it is an integral component of a cruelty-free lifestyle. Living vegan provides numerous benefits to animals’ lives, to the environment, and to our own health–through a healthy diet and lifestyle.”  Veganism, then, is larger than the self and the body’s wants or needs.  It takes a larger view of the world than perhaps the average Joe does, an “it’s not all about me” attitude, if you will.

Vegetarians list all sorts of reasons to go veggie.  According to the Vegetarian Times, there are at least 15 reasons why you should fill your plate with vegetables and leave the steak on the cow, most of which are health related.  That doesn’t mean that vegetarians don’t care about animals or the environment—in fact, a large number of veggies first came to the lifestyle through their love of animals, and then learned about the health benefits of this diet.  Wondering what they are?  Here are a few reasons to think about eating more greens (and yellows and reds and oranges):  You’ll live longer, lose weight, be more regular, ward off disease better, build strong bones and have more energy. It may be that vegans embrace their lifestyle for the very same reasons, but it seems like very often there is a commitment to something larger going on here, something almost spiritual.

This not to say that vegans are more enlightened than their more numerous vegetarian brothers and sisters—every person has their own way into this way of life and their own reasons for staying there. This is just to say that all vegans are vegetarians, but not all vegetarians are vegans—there is a difference and we recognize it. Maybe now, you will too.  And if you’re still not sure, ask a vegan or vegetarian why they chose to go meatless (or more)—they’ll probably be more than happy to tell you and you just might learn something new.

Jan 10
Love0

Quin-what? The Brown Bag Explains Quinoa

By BBBlog

Maybe you’ve heard about quinoa and thought, “What the heck is that?”  In the past few years, quinoa has gotten a lot of attention and the name has become more common on grocery store shelves and restaurant menus alike, but have you actually figured out what it is yet or why you might want to eat it?  Alright then, listen up:  We’re about to give you the skinny.

Quinoa is usually considered a whole grain, but it’s actually a seed that you can cook up just like a whole grain such as barley or rice.  (You might give it a try with stir-fry instead of your old favorite white rice)  It has a similar nutritional profile to brown rice but with slightly higher protein content.  It’s also a relative of some leafy green veggies we love like spinach and Swiss chard.  Here are some of the reasons that quinoa is so great:

1.  It cooks up faster than other grains, like rice.  It’s usually ready in 10 to 15 minutes.

2.  It’s quite tasty all on its own (unlike millet and teff).  Try adding a little olive oil, some sea salt and a dash of lemon juice.  Voila!  Delicioso!

3.  It’s great for vegans and vegetarians because it has the highest protein content of all the whole grains.  It contains all nine essential amino acids, which makes it a complete protein.  Bonus points:  It’s gluten-free, cholesterol free, kosher for Passover, and most of the time—it’s organic.  Quadruple threat!  AND it’s high in copper and manganese (great for your immune system), magnesium (for your heart), and fiber (to keep your digestive tract running smoothly).

Now, I’m sure, you’re wondering—what does it taste like?  Here’s the best description we found (from Dietriffic.com)  :  “The taste and texture of quinoa is a bit like brown rice crossed with oatmeal. It’s fluffy, creamy, crunchy and somewhat nutty, all rolled into one.”  It’s versatile and can be prepared several ways.  Before you cook it though—wash it.  Most commercial brands have been washed beforehand to remove a chemical called saponin that can be found on the surface of it.  Saponin, apparently, has a somewhat bitter, soapy taste, and who wants that?  So, give it a rinse just like you would with rice before you cook it up (and cook your quinoa according to this ration: 1 part quinoa to 2 parts liquid).

Some interesting facts about quinoa:

1.  Quinoa comes in different colors or varieties just like grapes.  The most common is white, but sometimes you can also find red or black.

2.  The Incas held quinoa to be sacred and called it the “mother of all grains” and cultivated it for years.  Traditionally, the emperor would sow the first quinoa seed of the season with “golden implements.”  The Spanish conquistadors actually forbade the cultivation of quinoa, forcing the Inca people to grown wheat instead, because they called it “Indian food” and didn’t appreciate its place in certain religious ceremonies.

3.  2013 has been declared the International Year of Quinoa by The United Nations.

 

The long and short of quinoa is this:  There are good reasons to give it a try.  It’s healthy, packs a nutritional punch, and by most accounts, it’s delicious.  So, cook some up and let us know what you think.  Leave a comment on our Facebook page  and tell us what your favorite recipe is. If you’d like more info on quinoa, along with recipes and cooking tips, visit Quinoa Corporation.