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 Almonds

No matter how you crack it, almonds are GRRRREAT!

 Matt and I are having both of our families over on Saturday for a get together.  In a perfect world, I would make everything from scratch.  But, in my real world, that won't happen. However, I love all things simple!  I found a very simple honey cinnamon roasted almond recipe that will be my "from scratch" contribution.  

First things first, we all know how great almonds are.  Did you know that almonds have been shown to decrease appetite without increasing body weight?  In all my nutrition studies, almonds are like the holy grail.  They help curb cravings, are a perfect go-to snack, and do not cause people to gain weight (despite the higher calorie/fat content).  It's a natural food- comes right from nature.  I eat almonds daily.  They are FABULOUS for you!!

Anyway, you knew that right?  Good.  

Now, here is a recipe you can try if you are wanting to add a little "sweet" kick to your almond snack.  Great for holiday parties as well!  And the topping does not add much calories as compared to other roasted almond recipes I found.  One other mention: the aroma is to die for.  I almost want to bake these on the day of the party to keep my house smelling like roasted nuts.  Reminds me of the holidays!  If honey and cinnamon is not your thing, you are CRAZY!  Kidding, but if it truly isn't you can also roast your almonds and then top sea salt only.  Still a good snack.  

Honey Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

After the roast!

Ingredients:
2 cups almonds
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Sprinkle of sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Foil a cookie sheet and spread out the almonds.  Bake for 10 minutes.
3. Combine water, honey, and cinnamon together in a bowl while almonds are baking.
4. Take the cookie sheet of almonds out of the oven. Place almonds in bowl with the mixture and stir to coat.  Place the almonds back onto the sheet. 
5. Bake for an additional 8 minutes.
6. Let cool and sprinkle with sea salt.

Must give credit where credit is due.  Slightly modified the recipe from Dietitian Debbie who can be found here:  http://dietitiandebbie.com/2013/02/18/honey-roasted-cinnamon-almonds/

Eat well,
Bri

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar & Honey

Have you tried apple cider vinegar yet?  Hopefully not by itself.  It is NOT tasty on its own (in my opinion).  However, it has some GREAT health benefits and I have a recipe to make it a little more appealing to your taste buds.

I saw this recipe on a website and it had come from Dr. Oz.  I know not everyone out there likes Dr. Oz, but I for one reallllllly like him.  His books with Dr. Roizen are fabulous, easy to read, and offer humor on serious subjects.  I like that.  Anyway, so this is from Dr. Oz and it is super yummy if you like grapefruit at all:

Mix 8 oz. grapefruit juice with 2 tsp apple cider vinegar and 1 tsp of honey. 

I drink it before breakfast several times per week to get that apple cider vinegar in!

Some of the touted health benefits of apple cider vinegar include:

• Helps tame tummy troubles and prevents indigestion
• Helps maintain healthy skin
• Relieves muscle pain from exercise
• Helps control weight
• Promotes digestion and ph balance
• Helps soothe dry throats
• Helps remove toxins
• Supports a healthy immune system

The above is my favorite apple cider vinegar recipe, but I have seen people drink it as a shot or put into a salad dressing.  What's your favorite way to get in some apple cider vinegar?

Eat well,
Bri