Edamame (Soy Beans)

These are a nice snack with good protein and fiber. Heat in the bag in the microwave for 3 minutes. Pop the beans out of the shell pod: hold the curved part of the pod towards your mouth, bite into it gently. The side seam will open, and the bean will pop out. Don't eat the pod.

Some people are concerned about soy products having too much estrogen. Some of that fear stemmed from backlash from the dairy industry threatened by soy products like milk, yogurt, cheeses. Soy has phytoestrogen which is not harmful to humans. However, cow milk has mammalian estrogen meant to grow a calf into an adult cow and is harmful to humans. We are supposed to be weaned from milk, and forcing our body to consume breast milk especially from another species over the long-term has negative health consequences.

(Collection: Something Else I Didn't Know)

No sodium also

Mango-Banana

Sliced mangos and bananas with cinnamon is another common and favorite breakfast/snack in our home. The ratio is usually 1:1.  Hydrating, nutritious, fiber, naturally sweet.

How I cut a mango is on this post:

https://42veggiequest.blogspot.com/2019/07/cutting-mango-tecnique.html

Sliced mango, sliced banana, sprinkle with cinnamon

Something else I didn't know: People with diabetes don't need to avoid whole fruit. Type 1 can manage their insulin resistance through a whole-foods, plant-based diet. Type 2 can reverse and eliminate their diabetes. For more information, see MasteringDiabetes.org
The good news: I'm no longer pre-diabetic and my blood pressure has dropped well into the healthy range.

Tomato with Basil and EVOL Snack

I love this.  So far I've only made this for hubby and myself.  The best ingredients for me are tomatos from the garden as well as freshly plucked basil.  If your grocer sells yummy tomatoes and basil, you are in luck.  I haven't tried this with dried basil, but that is certainly an option.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Tomato
Basil

Layer leaves, roll, slice.

Chop tomato, add basil,
drizzle with oil.
Yum.
And so good for you.

Peanut Butter and Celery

Kid Rating:  3 out of 3 like it

Do again?  Yes

Wash celery.  Dry it (pb sticks better when it's dry).

I used 100% natural smooth peanut butter

I cut the celery into bite-sized pieces for the 5 year old (added pb after cutting).

My kids also like it when cut the celery into 1 inch lengths and break pieces of crackers and stick them into the top and make little "sail boats" out of them.  Takes too long.  :-p  I let them do it.

Blanching Technique Using Broccoli

Kid Rating: 3 out of 3 like it

Do Again? Yes

About 10 years ago, my friend Karrie introduced me to blanching. I was at a pot-luck where broccoli was being served with dip. I usually avoid raw broccoli, but these had a beautiful color, so I tried one. It was SO good!

"Who brought the broccoli?" I called out. It was my neighbor and friend, Karrie. By the end of the event, her broccoli was gone (by others, not just me).

I've been serving blanched broccoli since. My kids love it, and here's a video to prove it. Even neighbor kids like it. We had one little girl over for dinner. When her mom asked what she ate, I told her broccoli and whatever we had that night. Her mom was shocked. "She hates broccoli! But I always serve the frozen stuff and it's mush."

Enough chit-chat. You can also use this technique with green beans. I'd like to try it with cauliflower.

Get a pot of water boiling.

Rinse off broccoli.

Trim off the florets.

Trim the stems, too. (My daughter loves this part of the broccoli).

Put the broccoli in the boiling water for 2 minutes (longer for more tender).

Strain. Rinse with cold water to stop cooking process if you are serving it cold. (It's also good warm).

Top: before blanching
Bottom: after blanching: brighter, easier to chew, sweeter

Cheat method: If I'm short on time, I dip the broccoli
in boiling water and hold it there for two minutes,
then cut off the florets.

"Poor man's asparagus," called by the French.
The inside of the stem is good, too. Just trim off
the tough outer edges.

Trimmed florets and stems.

Boiling for 2 minutes.

Remove (I have to get strainer insert).
I want to save the water; that's why I'm not
just dumping it all through a sieve/strainer.

I often use the same water for cooking pasta or rice.
The water has nutrients that were cooked out of the
broccoli, and the pasta/rice can soak some of that up.

Look at that beautiful color.
Not too bitter.
Not too hard.
Not too mushy.
Just right.

Jicama = Yam Bean = Mexican Turnip

Kid Rating: 2 out of my 3 like it (plus neighborhood kids)
Do Again: Yes!


My parents first introduced me to jicama when I was a teen. I just learned that 1 cup of jicama gives 24% of our daily fiber requirement and 40% of our Vitamin C requirement. Here is some nutritional info. Here is more info from Wikipedia.


Jicama (HICKamah) is a tuberous root that can be found in normal grocery stores (at least the stores in AZ, VA, IL and UT where I've lived). It's crunchy with a mild, sweet flavor. If an apple, pear and a potato had a baby together, this would be their baby.

Great water, fiber, and Vitamin C content

I slice and store it in water for a snack later.

Family Review:
5 y.o. - He spit it out. I tried his piece. It wasn't as good as the others; I think it was a bruised section. He has eaten it in the past.
9 y.o. - LOVES jicama. She requests it.
10 y.o. - Not excited about it but will eat it if I give him a little bit.
Hubby - I forgot to ask. It was all gone before I could give him some for an official opinion. He eats it though.
Me - I like it. I like it more now that I know of some of its benefits.


Our neighbor girl really likes it, too. I wrap some up for her and send it over. I've been a leader of a girls' activity group where I've served jicama as a snack. I'd say about 2/3 of the 8 year-olds in the group liked it.


I've never cooked with it although I have put it in salads. It's usually just an afternoon snack.