The Broccoli Theory

I know that cruciferous vegetables are good for you. I even know that they have anti-cancer properties, but I had no idea that the risk of death from breast cancer is actually cut in half by eating them. And it appears that you only need to eat one serving a day. That seems so easy!

And yet…

I do not do this. I am lucky to eat one serving a week of cruciferous vegetables (and that’s being generous in my estimation). I just tend to gravitate to other veggies. Clearly that needs to change! Read Dr. Gregor’s recent report on cruciferous veggies and breast cancer here.

So you might be wondering: what exactly constitutes a cruciferous vegetable? Most people think of broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage right off the bat, but here is the most comprehensive list I could find on the Internet (source):

• Arugula
• Bok choy
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Chinese cabbage
• Collard greens
• Daikon radish
• Horseradish
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Land cress
• Mustard greens
• Radish
• Rutabaga
• Shepherd’s purse
• Turnip
• Watercress

Of course, some of these I have never even heard of, but certainly there are a lot more options than I thought. One serving a day… I can do this!

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Another recommendation came through for me for the use of my blueberries, so tonight I made Ann Esselstyn’s (yes, wife of the famed doctor) Easy Blueberry Muffins. Ethan proclaimed, “these muffins are delicious!!!” And they are! (Or were…) I guess I’ll make another batch tomorrow. 🙂

If you are newer plant based eater, you may not have all the ingredients on hand, but luckily, I did! The only thing I substituted was almond milk for the oat milk. And it said 1/3 cup (or less) of a sweetener, so I used a 1/4 cup of honey and that was plenty sweet for us.

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IMDb: The Broccoli Theory (1996)

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My Blueberry Nights

My great Aunt Pauline brought me a huge bag of blueberries last night and I set right to work! I put a quick post on the Plant Based Junkies page and instantly had a recommendation for the Engine 2 Blueberry Dumpster Cake.  It was ridiculously easy to prepare with just a handful of ingredients you probably already have on hand. Throw the blueberries on top and bake. Voila!

The kids liked it, although it reminded them more of a blueberry pancake. I thought it was super, especially considering there are no eggs, no dairy and no sugar added!  A sweet treat without the guilt. 🙂

Blueberries are soooo good for you, and now is the season. I’ve been eating them every day on my breakfast, either oatmeal or brown rice, with a little almond milk and sprinkle of brown sugar.  Yum!  But these blueberries are even better than the ones I have been buying. Plump amd juicy!! I’m sure we will eat them up in no time, although I may try to freeze some.

Get those fresh blueberries while you can!!

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Tonight, it was a new recipe: Chipotle Black Bean and Quinoa Crock-Pot Stew.  We enjoyed this, but I didn’t totally love-love it. I served it over angel hair pasta as a switch up from brown rice, and it was more like a chili, or a thick meat sauce (minus the meat, of course!) I did cook this in my new favorite gadget, the Instant Pot. It was the first time I used dried beans, and the stew cooked for 10 hours on the slow cooker setting. It was also the first time I used dried chipotle peppers. It took me a while to find them in the grocery store, but find them, I did! They start out all dried and shriveled up, but they finish up like a cooked green pepper.

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A friend of mine lent me her copy of the Forks Over Knives Cookbook; more reading to do!

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IMDb: My Blueberry Nights (2007)