Earthly Eating

Did you know that many people when they go to purchase fruits, don’t consider buying figs as a part of their fruit bowl, and you maybe one of those people.

There are 150 Varieties of figs the grow world wide and come from the ficus tree. The majority of the figs that grow are dried, but fresh varieties are still available and are offered from the simple grocery store to health food stores as well.

The leaves of the fig are edible just like the fruit and are a good source of potassium, fiber and even calcium. In the United States alone, California is the state that produces the most figs and Turkey, Green and even Spain and Portugal are the top growing countries in the world.

Figs can be used in a variety of ways from dips to deserts to even salads and jellies. Next time you are shopping for fresh produce, pick up a fig or two and bring them in on a regular basis to your fruit bowl. If you pick it fresh, be sure and eat it within two days though. Figs have very short shelf life and spoil rather quickly.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Ice Cream Blocks
Makes: 2 dozen

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 pkg. mini marshmallows (6 cups)
1 pkg. coco pebbles cereal or fruit pebbles
2 or 3 pints ice cream, vanilla, softened slightly

Line two 13×9-inches with lightly buttered parchment paper.

Microwave the butter in a large microwaveable bowl on high for about 45 seconds or until melted. Add the marshmallows and mix to coat. Microwave 1 and half minutes or until marshmallows are melted, stir often. Add the cereal and mix to coat well.

Press 1/2 of the cereal mixture into ach prepared pan, cool and cut into 2-inch squares.

Spread 1 square with a scoop of ice cream and top with a second square to make a sandwich. Repeat till all squares are used.

Happy Eating!

Thanksgiving is the day of the year when we eat so much that most of us afterward need a good long nap to feel better. Eating healthy and indluging don’t really go hand and hand on this day either. But, eating reasonably healthfully isn’t a loos cause on this day of thanks. Here’s how to keep in check and not go over-board with eating.

• FOWL: If the choice is between glazed nitrate-cured ham or traditional big bird, opt for the poultry. Although the dark meat has a higher fat content, it’s also richer in iron and zinc, two important minerals most Americans don’t get enough of. A smaller portion will take you farther nutrionally than an equal portion of white meat.

• SIDES: Most of your holiday sides are where the nutrition actions is, at least they’re done right. Winter squash, squash as butternut squash and pumpkin, is loaded with vitamin A as beta-carotene and other antioxidants to help prevent heart disease and cancer. They’re also a good source of potassium and brimming with fiber. Fiber helps prevent a number of cancers while acting as a probotic and feeding the helpful microorganisms in the digestive tract.

• YAMS/SWEET POTATOES: Like the other yellow, orange, and gold root veggies, they have the vitamin A, calcium, potassium, and fiber. But they also are one of the best sources of food energy. Boiled or steamed sweet potatoes and yams are one of the healthiest foods people can eat. The low-heat cooking helps them retain more nutrients and provide the type of carbohydrates most suited for weight management and blood-sugar control.

• THE COLOR RED: Red fruits and vegetables are some of the best sources of vitamins and antioxidants. Berries contain proanthocyanidins that can prevent the adhesion of various bacteria associated with urinary tract infections, gum disease, and stomach ulcers.

• DRIED FRUITS: Look to dried fruits such as dried plums, dried figs, raisins, and dried cherries, for more than iron, zinc and other minerals. They have plenty of calcium, too. And of course, they are loaded with fiber and potassium. You can make pies from most of them, add them to stuffing, sauces, and compotes, or eat them just they way they are with some nuts.

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Earthly Eating Recipe: Day 5 Of Low-Fat Eating

Guilt-Free, Low-Fat, Healthy Snacks For You And Your Family

• Just Vegetables: Dehydrated niblets of corn, carrots, peas, tomatoes, and bell peppers make eating veggies almost as satisfying as eating popcorn. There is nothing added, so all you get is phytochemicals, fiber, and vitamins A and C. Plus a mild, slightly sweet flavor. Find them at natural foods stores everywhere or click here for an online company distribution.

• Dried Fruits: Here is a snack that’s packed with potassium, antioxidants, and fiber. Granted, dried fruit is high in sugar, but that actually makes it a food choice when you need a little pick-me-up. You can munch a cup of dried blackberries and take in just 90 calories and a whopping 9 grams of fiber in them.

• Edamame: A traditional snack in Japan, edamame, or blanched soybeans in pids, are becoming increasingly available in the United States. The sweet, nutty-tasting beans are loaded with soy protein, which has been shown to help lower cholesterol. A half cup of chelled beans has 125 calories and 4 grams of fiber. Look for unsalted edamame in the frozen foods section.

• Sliced Raw Vegetables: Make you own mini-party platter with sweet red peppers, baby carrots, celery, and a bit of hummus. The fiber in the veggies and creamy bean dip will fill you up, withgout loading you down with calories.

• Rice Cakes: Whole grains are the prixe here. Diets rich in whole grains ,ay reduce your risk of diabetes and some cancers. Unsalted rice cakes can be cardboardly; if you’re eating them unadorned, opt for ones with a littel salt. Quaker’s Lightly Salted rice cakse are satisfying crunchy and are made with only two ingredients, whole grain brown rice and salt. Two cakes, deliver 70 calories and a scant of 30 milligrams of sodium.
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Lime and Ginger Custards
Serves: 5

1 tsp. lime zest
1/3 cup fresh like juice
1/2 cup cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 tsp finely grated ginger

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Whisk together all the ingredients in a large glass bowl.

3. Place five 4-ounce custard cups in a large baking dish. Fill cups 3/4 of the way from being full with the mixture.

4. Carefully pour hot water into the baking pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the custard cups.

5. Place baking pan in the oven and bake for 30 mintues, or until just about set. The centers should be slightly liquid.

6. Remove pan from the oven and let custard cool in the water bath.

7. Chill and serve.

Happy Eating!

Ficus is a genus of about 800 species of woody trees, shrubs and vines in the family Moraceae, native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the warm temperate zone. The most well known species in the genus is the Common Fig. (Source: Wikipedia)

Other varieties include:

Alma -

celeste -

Brown Turkey -

Italian black -

Italian white -

Kadota - Used in Newtons, dries well.

Lemon Fig - Native to South Carolina.

Mission- (black )sweet commonly dried.

Mission figs got their name from the Spanish missionaries who planted them along the California coast in the late-eighteenth century. In season from June through October. Figs have a unique interior that is made up of thousands of tiny flowers that bloom inside the fruit.

They are good source of flavonoids and polyphenols. Figs and other dried fruit were measured for their antioxidant content. A 40 gram portion of dried figs (two medium size figs) produced significant increase in plasma antioxidant capacity. Figs also have higher quantities of fiber than any other dried or fresh fruit, and are very high in calcium.

Figs with Ricotta Cheese and Wildflower Honey:
Serves 4 to 6

12 large Figs (any variety)
1 lb. fresh whole milk ricotta cheese at room temperature
6 tbs. wildflower honey

Quarter figs and arrange them on plates. Add a spoonful of ricotta to each fig and a generaous drizzle of the honey. Serve.

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Earthly Eating Recipe:

Peach Melba-Stuffed French Toast
Serves: 4

For stuffed french toast:
2 to 3 ripe peaches, sliced
1 tsp. plus 1 tbs. sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk or half-and-half
1 rsp. vanilla
8 slices day-old French bread (3/4 inch thick)
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 8 slices

For berry syrup:
1 cup sugar
2 tba conrstarch
1 cup water
1 to 1 1/2 cup fresh blackberries or raspberries
1 tbs butter
Powdered sugar (for garnishing)
4 mint springs ( for garnishing)

To make berry syrup:
1. In a small saucepan, conbine sugar and conrstarch with a whisk. Stir in water and bring to a boil. Boil 3 minutes.

2. Add berries, Cook, stirring frequently, until berries burst and color syrup.

3. Add butter and continue cooking until it’s melted and berries have fallen apart. Keep warm until ready to serve.

To make stuffed French toast:
1. Sprinkle peach slices with 1 tsp. sugar and let sit.

2. In a shallow bowl, combine eggs, milk, vanilla and 1 tbs. sugar. Dip bread slices in egg mixture for about 5 seconds on each side. (Depending on the bread’s dryness, you may need to add more egg or milk.) Cook over medium heat on a hot skillet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. (For added flavor, melt butter on the skillet.)

3. Cook until bread is browned on one side, then turn over. Cover the top of 4 browned pieces with peaches and 2 slices of cream cheese each. Top this with another slice of bread, browned side inside. Flip the whole stuffed toast over to warm cream cheese.

4. Slice the Stuffed French Toast diagonally and top with Berry Syrup. Garnish with powdered sugar and mint sprigs.

Happy Eating!