Honey

Quick, fun quiz:  Name the first 8 phrases or things with the word “honey” in it that come to mind.

These are mine:

• Honey Nut Cheerios
• Honey I shrunk the kids
• Honey, I’m home
• I love you honey
• Honey Boo Boo
• Honey bee
• Honey… the movie
• Honey roasted almonds

Did any of yours match mine?  If so, I grant you an air hug.

So… why the quiz about honey?  Well, honey is mentioned ALL the time!  It is everywhere!  And one place it should DEFINITELY be is in your kitchen.

This time of year can bring coughing, tiredness, scratchy throats, etc.  I have already had a little dose of that and I am sure most of you have too.  Honey can be used as a natural cough suppressant.  In fact, Penn State college of Medicine did a research study and found that honey is as effective as over-the- counter cough medicine.  Guess Mary Poppins needs to redo her song… “A spoonful of honey helps the medicine go down.”

I found a great recipe that I know I will try the next time I have a rough coughing spell.

Nurse Barb’s Honey Cough Syrup

Ingredients:

• Zest of 2 lemons= 1 ½ tablespoons
• ¼ cup peeled, sliced ginger or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup honey
• ½ cup lemon juice

Directions:

In a small saucepan, add lemon zest, sliced ginger, and 1 cup of water. Bring mixture to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, and then strain into a heat-proof measuring cup.  Rinse the saucepan out and pour in 1 cup honey. On low heat, warm the honey, but do not allow it to boil. Add the strained lemon/ ginger water and the lemon juice. Stir the mixture until it forms a thick syrup.  Pour into a clean jar and seal with a lid.  This can be refrigerated up to 2 months.  For ages 12 and up, take 1 to 2 tablespoons every 4 hours.

The recipe was provided by the National Honey Board.

Honey can also increase energy.  It is a high carbohydrate food (17 grams of carbohydrates and 64 calories per tablespoon) and can add flavor to just about anything.  It’s a one-ingredient food too… you know how much I love that!

I also enjoy the story behind honey.  I appreciate the hard work that went into making honey by bees and the beekeepers.  And did you know that there are more than 300 varieties of honey found in the United States?  Pretty AWESOME if you ask me.

So, now I have to ask… what is your favorite thing to put honey on?  I like to sprinkle honey on my peanut butter and banana sandwiches.  Yum!

Eat well,

Bri

Roasted Kettle Kernels

Love that crunch!

I am all about the crunch.  I am sure you have your texture of choice too.  I am the person who always toasts bread and the one you can hear snacking from a mile away due to the snack's crunchy loudness.

I get NatureBox once per month to try out some new snacks.  I have a favorite lately.  Ever heard of Roasted Kettle Kernels?  Almost like Corn Nuts, but better ingredients.  I used to love Corn Nuts as a kid so was thrilled to welcome these back into my life again with some non genetically modified (GMO) ingredients.  Don't worry, I am not going to throw any jargon at you about GMO vs non-GMO (great idea for a future blog post on my sister blog Simple Delights though).

Since I get these through NatureBox, I am not 100% sure if you can find them in a grocery store. My guess would be that you could find them at a Whole Foods or Central Market (or any other specialty store of the like).

The ingredients are below.  Sugar is the 2nd ingredient so you do not want to overdo these or eat them ALL the time, but I love the heck out of the crunch.  When I need a new snack, these provide a tasty update to my snack repertoire.

If you like crunch, give them a try.  Have a favorite crunchy snack?  Please share!

Eat well,

Bri

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

What to BRING Wednesday... to that holiday party!

I have chocolate covered strawberries on the brain.  And not because I have had these recently or have even seen them in stores lately, but I think they would make a great holiday treat.  If you have all those holiday parties to go to and need a treat to bring, why not bring something sooooo delicious AND adds a little nutrition bang for that buck?

So this week, I take out the "eat" and replace with "bring" for "What to BRING Wednesday!"  My holiday party is Dec 13th where I am to bring a treat so I plan on following through with this idea.  What about you?  Have a healthy, but TASTY holiday treat?

I have not made chocolate covered strawberries myself and if I had to guess, they are probably pretty messy.  But, getting a little messy in the kitchen never hurts anyone.  So here is a recipe I think I will try from Real Simple:

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Ingredients:

1 lb strawberries (~20)

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate

Directions:

1. Coarsely chop the chocolate.  Wash and dry the strawberries.
2. Place the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
3. Holding a strawberry by the stem end, dip in the melted chocolate, letting the excess chocolate drip off.  Repeat with the remaining strawberries.
4. Place the strawberries on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  As you set each berry down, slide it 1/2 inch to the side to prevent the formation of a chocolate "foot".
5. Refrigerate the strawberries until the chocolate is firm, at least 30 minutes.  They will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator, covered.

Original site for this how-to can be found here:  Real Simple Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Eat well,

Bri