Harvest Health

Harvest Health

Wednesday 8 February 2012

Disorganised

The New Year induced desires to cull, toss and organise.  One of the jobs which I have to admit to starting but getting nowhere near finishing involves this recipe book:


Which unfortunately is crammed full of loose papers, and looks like this:


There are lots of newspaper cuttings and computer printouts, - all recipes that I thought at one time or another I would like to make.  Needless to say, with them all jammed in like this, I haven't made many of them.  I know there are some good recipes in there.   I think that I would find good recipes for family meal planning, and new vegetable recipes, if I could get this in working order.  It appears to be, however, one of those jobs that is started with enthusiasm, but ends in a muddle soon after.

Does anyone else have a recipe book that looks like this, or even better, does anyone have any good ideas on how to store random recipes to increase their chance of being cooked?

Tuesday 7 February 2012

The Joy of Eggs

 Why Eggs are good:

1.  Eggs are a great source of protein.
Eggs are a complete sources of protein.  This means they contain all the essential amino acids we need from our diets.
2. Eggs keep you full
The protein and fat in eggs keep you satiated.  Unlike a breakfast of processed cereal or white bread which will leave you feeling hungry again in an hour or two.


Breakfast
 3. Eggs are relatively inexpensive
Compared to other complete protein foods such as meat and fish, eggs are quite inexpensive

4. Eggs don't make your cholesterol worse
Eggs got a lot of bad press in the 1960s when doctors linked high cholesterol with heart disease.  Not all cholesterol is bad, in fact cholesterol is an essential component of every cell membrane of your body.  High cholesterol problems are more likely to do with high sugar consumption, and lack of exercise.

5. Eggs can assist weight loss
This is related to eggs keeping you full.  Also, eggs are low GI, so they don't cause your blood sugar to spike.

6. Eggs contain Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)
EFAs are essential for our health.  They are particularly important for brain, heart and immune health

One of my (happy) chooks!
Not all eggs are equal
This had been said many times before.  But factory farmed eggs are not only bad because of the living conditions of the hens that produce them, they are far inferior in their nutritional profile.  The egg from a hen that has been able to forage in daylight and eat grass has a much higher nutrient content, in particular the amount of omega 3 it contains.  Eat free range and/or organic eggs.