simple.green.organic.happy.

Category: Food & Recipes

  • The Health Benefits of Almond Butter vs Peanut Butter

    The Health Benefits of Almond Butter vs Peanut Butter

    Obviously, if you have a peanut allergy, you need alternatives to peanut butter. But even if you don’t, you might want to give almond butter a try! Here’s why.

    Look, I love peanut butter as much as the next person, but if you haven’t been checking out the ever-growing number of PB alternatives, you’re missing out.

    Heads up: I received this product for free from Moms Meet. Compensation for this post was provided, opinions are my own.

    Even though my own kids don’t have a peanut allergy, they often had a student in their class that did. And since PB&J is pretty much a lunchbox gold standard, we’ve tried a ton of the other butters out there over the years to find an allergy-safe substitute. If that’s been your experience too, you’ll be happy to know that not only is almond butter a tasty option, but a better-for-you one too.

    The Health Benefits of Almond Butter vs Peanut Butter

    Now, clearly what brand of almond butter or peanut butter you’re eating makes a difference, so read those labels before buying. But speaking generally, when you opt for almond butter over peanut butter you get:

    More fiber.

    Almost twice as much. This is a pretty big detail if you’re trying to lose weight, since that fiber will help you to feel fuller longer.

    More good fats, fewer bad fats

    Almonds contain more monounsaturated fats (by about 25%) and less saturated fats than peanuts do.

    More minerals and vitamin E

    Almond butter has more magnesium, iron, phosphorous and calcium than its peanut butter counterpart, as well as vitamin E (which is good for immunity, fighting inflammation, your skin and eyes, and a whole lot more. Make sure you’re getting plenty of vitamin E).

    But does it taste good?

    I think it does. My most recent foray into almond butter came courtesy of a sampler of Lindsay Almond Butters, as part of a review through the Moms Meet blogger program. This brand is a worthy contender as far as peanut butter impersonators go: it’s smooth and easily spreadable, and tastes very similar to peanut butter—ideal if you have picky eaters who might balk at accepting almond butter on its own terms. It does separate a little, like most butters that keep preservatives, emulsifiers, etc to a minimum do, but not nearly so much as some “natural” peanut butters or PB alternatives can.

    It’s made with 100% California almonds and a touch of honey, and once you pair it with jelly on a sandwich, cut apple slices, celery, or whatever your kid’s favorite PB delivery mode might be, I’m not sure they would even notice the difference. Since my favorite is a peanut butter and peanut butter sandwich, I’ve been happily eating my Lindsay almond butters open faced on whole wheat toast, for a little bit of a boost before I go out for a run.

    Because I’m running again. Early Spring 2018 me thought it was a good idea to sign up for an October 8K race. September 2018 me isn’t real happy with Early Spring 2018 me.

    Anyway. To sweeten the deal, Lindsay Almond Butters have no hydrogenated oils, preservatives, GMOs or gluten, plus they are kosher. You can find them in Classic Creamy, Classic Crunchy, and Honey Cinnamon at a retailer near you; if you have a Costco, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club or Safeway nearby, those are good places to check. (The crunchy is fantastic, by the way, crunchy PB lovers. I’ve been maybe sneaking a spoonful every now and again, when I just need to eat a little something to calm a rogue hunger pang.)

    Lindsay and Sustainability

    The Lindsay brand is family owned and operated, growing their almonds on the same land where they’ve cultivated olives for the past 100 years (and holy cow, do they ever have a variety of olives, as well as peppers, olive oil and pickled veggies; if you like any of those things you should really check out their full product lineup and recipe ideas). Since they’re located in California, they’ve made huge efforts when it comes to water conservation, and reuse their by-products and processing water to power the grid—enough to power 1800+ homes/year— and feed the soil.  And over the last five years, Lindsay has cut its carbon footprint by a third: pretty impressive.

    One more thing

    I highly suggest you go follow Lindsay on Instagram and Pinterest. Because yum.

  • Five Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Palm Oil

    Five Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Palm Oil

    Palm oil is in a lot of things, from chocolate and ice cream to lipsticks and soap. It’s also been demonized to what I think is an unfair extent. Here are five things you probably didn’t know about Malaysian palm oil—and might have you thinking differently about this common ingredient.

    5 Things I Didn’t Know About Palm Oil
    (and you probably don’t either)

    I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

    Palm oil is a healthy fat

    Fat, in general, has been demonized for the last couple of decades, but the medical community is starting to walk that position back. Your body needs fat to function, and calorie for calorie, “real food” options with fats tend to be more nutrient dense than their low fat counterparts.

    You do want to stay away from industrial trans fats, and as it is trans fat free, palm oil is a viable replacement for partially hydrogenated oils. Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil comes in golden and red varieties; the red palm oil, like the one pictured, is full of carotenoids and phytonutrients (you’ll also find these in squash, carrots, oranges, and apricots) as well as vitamin E (which helps boost immunity, widen blood vessels and fight free radicals). Bread baked with palm oil has nearly ten times the antioxidant power of vitamin E over bread baked with canola oil.

    Palm oil has a high smoke point

    Palm oil’s smoke point is over 450 degrees, so it is more resistant to oxidation (the creation of harmful free radicals). For reference’s sake, olive oil begins to degrade at 380 degrees, canola at 400 degrees, and coconut oil at 347 degrees— so if you’re like me and do a lot of sautéing, palm oil is a smart switch to make. AND, Malaysian palm fruit oil can be stored at room temperature for 12 months without going rancid. Other oils generally don’t last that long; olive oil can, but with refrigeration. 

    Palm oil is flavor neutral

    I like keeping salad healthy with an oil and vinegar salad dressing, but I don’t love the taste of olive oil really. For most of my cooking, I use coconut oil because it’s paleo compliant and that’s what people always noted in their paleo recipes (I’m nowhere near 100% paleo but I try). Palm oil is also paleo compliant and, well, it doesn’t taste like coconut, which is a definite bonus as far as my family is concerned. (I’ll never get used to the taste of coconut oil eggs.) You can also sub it for vegetable oil in baking recipes.

    We made popcorn with our palm oil and it’s true, we couldn’t taste it. (It did color the popcorn, so keep that in mind for when aesthetics matter.) We also added parmesan and some salt-free grilling seasoning which was pretty bomb.

    Palm oil is economically and environmentally efficient

    Bear with me here for a second. In Malaysia, one acre of oil palm produces 11 times more oil than an acre of soybean, 10x more than sunflower and 7x more than canola, and the trees don’t need to be cleared and replanted every year like corn, canola and soybean crops do. This, in theory, results in a lesser environmental impact and more stable living for wildlife, keeps costs down, and keeps villagers employed.

    100% of Malaysia’s palm oil will be certified sustainable by the end of 2019

    Malaysia is the world’s second largest producer of palm oil and became the first to produce and export certified sustainable palm oil, in 2008. The Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil certification program (MSPO) “includes general principles as well as stringent criteria for all parties involved in palm oil production, from the independent family farmers who tend the trees which produce the oil-rich fruit to the organizations that assist these smallholders to the palm oil mills which process the oil.”

    The Malaysian palm oil industry has also partnered with the Malaysian government on the Malaysian Palm Oil Wildlife Conservation Fund (MPOWCF), which has a hand in conservation efforts throughout the country, including supporting orangutans and elephants.

    Let’s talk about the orangutan in the room.

    I know some people are boycotting palm oil due to deforestation depriving orangutans of their natural habitat. I understand that reaction, and once upon a time I probably would have gone along with it, but it’s short sighted. Malaysia committed decades ago to preserving more than half of its rainforests, and it has preserved even more than that. They’ve also dedicated themselves to sustainable agricultural practices, as outlined above. At this stage, it makes no sense to boycott already existing palm oil plantations, especially since they are more long lived and more productive than other seed oil farms.

    What does make sense is:

    • making sure that the plantations adhere to sustainable farming practices
    • holding all stakeholders responsible for preserving the rainforests that remain
    • DONATE to support orangutan research, rehabilitation, and protection (along with whatever other animals you feel strongly about).

    Activism is good, but activism that works towards conservation and creating conditions where agriculture and wildlife can co-exist with minimal harm is more realistic and sustainable— and honestly, has more impact in the long term.

    It’s a big world we live in, with a lot of people to feed and employ. If anything, Malaysian palm oil plantations should act as a starting inspiration to examine agricultural practices here in the US, and how we can compel these large industries to commit to sustainability in the years ahead.

  • Healthy Lunch Option: Veggie-Go’s Organic Fruit Snacks

    Healthy Lunch Option: Veggie-Go’s Organic Fruit Snacks

    It’s back to school time! Time to start stockpiling ideas for kids’ lunchboxes. Here’s one that kids will love: organic fruit snacks and fruit strips that include a full serving of whole fruits and veggies in each package.

    organic fruit snacks
    I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

    Fruit snacks are pretty much a lunchbox staple, right? They qualify as a treat without being a candy, cake or cookie (which many schools don’t even allow anymore in school lunches). 

    The thing is, a lot of fruit snacks really should qualify as a candy. They carry a “health halo” for being fruit flavored, or maybe having some fruit juice as a main ingredient, but they still hold a lot of sugar and not much else in a tiny package.

    You can make your own fruit snacks and leathers to control the sugar levels, and if you have a dehydrator you should totally go for it, they’re delicious. Buttttt they are also a lot of hassle if you don’t have a dehydrator, plus they’re best with done with fresh, in-season fruit. Not really practical for the school year.

    Enter Veggie-Go’s Organic Fruit Snacks

    Lisa— a certified nutritionist— and John, Veggie-Go’s founders, lived and worked on organic farms before they were inspired to create a new slant on snacking. Their snacks come in two varieties: strips (think fruit leather) and bites (think fruit snacks). All are USDA organic, non-GMO, and gluten free with NO added sugar.

    AND, each package contains one full serving of whole fruits and veggies. 

    To put that in some perspective, let’s compare a strawberry fruit roll-up to its closest Veggie-Go competitor (Strawberry, Chia + Beets). The ingredients of the roll-up are:

    Corn Syrup, Dried Corn Syrup, Sugar, Pear Puree Concentrate, Palm Oil. Contains 2% or less of: Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Fruit Pectin, Monoglycerides, Malic Acid, Dextrose, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), Acetylated Monoglycerides, Natural Flavor, Color (red 40, yellows 5 & 6, blue 1).

    The ingredients of the Veggie-Go?

    Organic Sweet Potato Puree, Organic Concentrated Apple Juice, Organic Concentrated Apple Puree, Organic Concentrated Strawberry Juice, Organic Concentrated Beet Juice, Organic Chia Seeds, Citrus Pectin, Cellulose, Natural Flavor.

    The flavors

    As I said, Veggie-Go’s come as strips and bite-size snacks. And the flavors are sort of wild.

    Veggie-Go’s strips come in:

    • Berry, Apple + Spinach
    • Sweet Potato, Apple + Spices
    • Beet, Apple + Cinnamon
    • Carrot, Apple + Ginger
    • Tropical Fruit + Kale

    Veggie-Go’s bites come in:

    • Strawberry, Chia + Beets
    • Orange, Cocoa Nibs + Carrots
    • Berry, Rice Crisps + Greens

    Not something you would normally leap to grab off the shelf, right? But for the preschool set especially, it’s a more natural transition from all those wholesome baby purées and meals they ate as toddlers. I’m not one to shame anyone for giving their kids the occasional not-even-pretending-to-be-good-for-you snack, but for an everyday lunchbox item these are a fairly healthy option in a fun package.

    How do they taste?

    I will be honest and say I don’t really like fruit snacks of any kind, myself. I’m not into chewy/gummy candy or fruit. That said, I gamely gave all the flavors a try and I liked them fine. My favorites were the Strawberry, Chia + Beets and the Cocoa Nibs + Carrots. They have a bit of crunch to them reminiscent of strawberry seeds, which I sort of liked better than traditional fruit snacks. My husband, who does like fruit snacks but does not like things that are clearly good for you, liked the berry apple and sweet potato varieties best (he placed them in order by favorite here, from right to left). 

    I left all the boxes on the windowsill, first at home and then at the beach where we had several families visiting with us for the weekend. I didn’t mention to anyone that I was reviewing Veggie-Go’s, I just left them with the rest of the communal food.

    The result? I overheard one set of kids recommending their favorites to one of the adults as they all sat down for lunch. Another set of kids asked if they could take some to the beach as a snack. I think I came home with three left over. 

    So yes, kids will totally eat these and ask for more. And some adults, who aren’t restricted by “one treat a day” rules will maybe eat them all day long if you don’t chastise them.

    The verdict

    Seemingly rogue apostrophe aside, I really like Veggie-Go’s. I love that the cartons are fully recyclable and made from recycled paperboard, which is fueled by local wind energy in Denver. I love the designs on the wrapping and the fact that the cartons present themselves attractively like store displays. I think they would do well as natural energy boosters for hikers or when working out, or even just working— to get you through that afternoon slump. But especially I think they’re great for lunchboxes for littles. They look just like regular fruit snacks (cuter, even) but they sneak that little bit of extra veggies into a kid’s diet, which is a win in my book.

    Obviously, real fresh fruit and veggies are the best option, but they’re not always in season, don’t necessarily hold up well in a lunchbox, and most importantly you’re not there to wheedle them to finish up their meal. If you have a kid who doesn’t love their veggies, Veggie-Go’s are an easy way to incorporate some without a fight.

    Where to buy Veggie-Go’s

    I can buy Veggie-Go’s organic fruit snacks at Whole Foods, our local natural foods grocery and our co-op— enter your zip code in the store locator to find a physical store near you. Or, you can buy online at Amazon or directly from the Veggie-Go’s website.