As my previous post has pointed out, we can never have too many beets for good health. And the leaves of beets are just as magical as the rosy roots. Because beets contain a compound that oxygenates the blood, they can improve athletic performance and keep our little gray cells working in top order. These properties become even more important as we age. In fact, beets are probably the best food we can eat to help ward off the onset of Alzheimer’s and other age-related brain disorders. It’s never too early to incorporate new and healthy foods to our diets. I hope you and your family will try these easy recipes.
MoreBraised beet greens with toasted walnuts
18 Feb 2021 Leave a comment
in food, health, recipes, Side dishes Tags: alzheimer's disease, beet leaves, beets, heart, nutrition, nuts, stroke, vegetables, walnuts
Fight stroke with magnesium
25 Jun 2020 Leave a comment
in food, health, Main dishes, recipes, science, Side dishes Tags: beans, black beans, broccoli, heart, magnesium, rice, scallops, spices, stroke
Scallops, broccoli, and black beans are full of magnesium. Scroll down for easy recipe.
Vinny’s grandparents are getting on, so nobody will blame them if they are starting to look a little worn around the edges. Relying on fast food and maybe even cigarettes over the years to make life easy could be part of the problem. With these sorts of habits, Vinny worried that his family could be setting itself up for medical catastrophes… stroke for example. Holy smokes! Is there anything we can do to help?
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Pumpkin pie punch
30 Oct 2017 3 Comments
in Drinks, food, health, Holiday foods, recipes Tags: alcohol, antioxidants, apples, chronic diseases, cream, eyes, heart, pumpkin, spices
Try this delicious glassful of nutrition with your little tricksters on Halloween this year. It’s a treat that can’t be beat!
Instead of adding sugar, I use stevia in the whipped cream topping, a natural no-calorie sweetener that won’t add a single gram to your little one’s sugar load this Halloween season. More
Heart-smart sweet potato pancakes for your valentine
14 Feb 2016 8 Comments
in Breakfast foods, food, health, Holiday foods, recipes Tags: fiber, heart, nutrition, pancake, sugar, sweet potatoes, Valentine's day, vegetables
Here’s a terrific treat for the family on a day that celebrates all things close to the heart. It’s terrific because this valentine doesn’t involve candy, but it tastes wonderful, anyway.
My mystery delight involves sweet potatoes. They release their sugar gently, taking their time, so you don’t suffer from sugar spikes associated with refined white sugar that is added to most sweets.
I published this 4 years ago with all the good news about sweet potatoes. But I’ve since updated the photos and made the recipe even easier (there as well as here).
Heart-y sweet potato pancakes
Serves 2 or 3
- 3/4 cup mashed sweet potatoes (1 medium potato boiled until fork tender, then peeled, mashed, and measured)
- 1/4 cup flour (whole grain if possible)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 3 eggs (omega-3 if possible)
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons liquid oil (coconut, if possible)
- Boil your sweet potato until fork tender. Then peel, mash, and measure. Use 1/4 cup mashed potato per egg, for each person. My recipe serves 3 people from 1 potato.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk and canola oil. Of course you can use any kind of eggs, milk or oil…. but on a day we are celebrating love, I think we should be as kind to our hearts as we can be with these healthy ingredients.
- Whisk the sweet potato puree into the liquid ingredients. Then stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until they are just blended.
Cooking and Presentation
- To follow through with hearts on Valentine’s Day, spray a large nonstick or cast-iron frying pan with oil and add a dab of butter for flavor. Heat the pan on medium heat until oil sizzles a bit.
- Fill the pan with 1/4-cup scoops of batter. I had room for 3 or 4 at a time. When bubbles rise to the surface of the pancakes, lift a corner and check the underside. When golden brown, flip the cake over, using a spatula. After a minute or three, once the second side is golden as well, flip the cake onto a wooden cutting board.
- Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, turn each pancake into a love-note for your sweetie. I presented these golden treats with a splash of maple syrup and some berries on the side.
“You are berry cute,” I said. “I think we’re cut out for each other!”
Carrots for dessert? Add grapes and go!
16 Sep 2014 4 Comments
in Desserts, food, health, recipes, Side dishes Tags: carrots, eyes, fiber, fruit, grapes, Greek yogurt, heart, vegetables, vitamin K
A duck walked up to a lemonade stand. And he said to the man
running the stand… “Hey…. Got any grapes?”
The man said, “No, we just sell lemonade. It’s cold and it’s fresh and it’s all home made. Can I get you a glass?” The duck said, “I’ll pass.” (waddle waddle waddle)
I feel just like that persistent little duckie in Bryant Oden’s wickedly humorous song who wouldn’t give up until he found some grapes.
Unlike the duck, when I find grapes I know just what I’ll do with them. More
Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia miracle pudding boosts memory
01 Apr 2014 24 Comments
in Breakfast foods, Desserts, food, health, recipes Tags: brain, chia seeds, chocolate, fiber, heart, omega-3, protein, pudding
Don’t eat your potted pet…
Remember those little Chia sculptures that blew onto the scene about 30 years ago? We’d water them and give them a little love, and they rewarded us by growing hair and fur in all the right places. They were cute but decidedly not edible. More
Fabulous Fennel, plus an Italian side-dish
04 Mar 2014 15 Comments
in food, health, recipes, science, Side dishes Tags: antioxidants, digestion, fennel, fiber, gourmet, heart, liver, nutrition, vegetables

Fennel makes a great side for barbecued chicken.
What’s Fennel?
Fennel’s a bit of an odd vegetable. Although it turns up in the produce departments of most super markets, it’s not really a regular guest at most people’s tables. Fennel is best pals with Celery, another kind-of-blah veggie that is often left languishing. These two veggies have the same pale greenish-white crisp flesh. And Fennel’s stalks grow around one another like Celery stalks do. Both veggies can be served raw or cooked. And both have a fibrous, mild flavor.
But Fennel deserves a closer look. Once you get to know it, you’ll see it’s loaded with character. More
Simply squash
12 Mar 2013 1 Comment
in food, health, recipes, Salads, Side dishes Tags: antioxidants, bones, eyes, fiber, heart, minerals, nutrition, omega 3 fatty acids, squash, vitamins
- Squash-o-copia: butternut, acorn, and ambercup
“Simple!” Dr. Mike says. “Roasted squash is a delicious, low-fat side dish. Enjoy it on my 17-day diet, once you’ve completed the first cycle.”
So I decided to give it a try. The roasted butternut was so good, my friend ate the skin! I suppose that’s one way to boost your fiber – but not one I’d really recommend :). Squash tastes wonderful with lean poultry or pork.
Tip: to make the squash easier to cut, More
Green tea for two plus tea trivia galore
12 Feb 2013 8 Comments
in Drinks, food, health Tags: antioxidants, balanced meals, drinks, family, green tea, heart, mood, tea, trivia, Valentine's day

Green Tea makes for strong hearts.
Green Tea comes with benefits
Host a green tea party for two and do your hearts a favor. A beautiful smile, fresh breath and glowing skin are some other ways green tea can improve your love life.
Even better is the boost it gives your memory, as well as your metabolic rate. All that should earn you some brownie points with your heart’s desire! More
Mares eat oats and Does eat oats
09 May 2012 14 Comments
in Breakfast foods, health, recipes, science, Snacks Tags: bananas, carbohydrates, children, diabetes, digestion, fiber, gluten free, heart, low glycemic, Native American, nutrition, oats, pemmican, sugar, traditions
“Why do Mares and Does eat oats?” asks Will. “Oats look like dry little bits of paper. Ugh. Does Bambi’s mom know something we don’t?” More
Heart-healthy sweet potato pancakes for your Valentine
13 Feb 2012 5 Comments
in Breakfast foods, food, health, Holiday foods, recipes Tags: carbohydrates, fiber, heart, minerals, potatoes, sugar, Valentine's day, vegetables, vitamins
Here’s a terrific treat for the family on a day that celebrates all things close to the heart! It’s terrific because this valentine doesn’t involve candy, but it tastes wonderful, anyway.
My mystery delight involves sweet potatoes. They release their sugar gently, taking their time, so you don’t suffer from sugar spikes associated with refined white sugar that is added to most sweets.
Sweet potatoes make healthy eating
The Centre for Science in the Public Interest ranked the sweet potato number one in nutrition of all vegetables. It beat out white potatoes by more than 100 points!
Points were given for content of dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars and complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. Points were deducted for fat content (especially saturated fat), sodium, cholesterol, added refined sugars and caffeine. The higher the score, the more nutritious the food.
Sweet potato ranked highest with a score of 184. Potato came in at 83.