Mango Mania: Add Superfoods to Your Diet

Mango Mania

According to an article by Jenny Ivy published on Delicious Living.com, "The National Mango Board is touting multiple studies that found potential health benefits associated with eating mangos. These health benefits include improved blood pressure, blood sugar control and gut health."

Money Saving Tip

Stock up on mangos and start to include this superfood in your diet. I stock up on mangos when they are reasonably priced and enjoy them fresh as well as freeze some for later to use in smoothies!

Recipes

Next time you are at the store and find mangos, pick some up and prepare my Mango Overnight Oats Recipe. Pictured below are a few images of the Overnight Oats process.

Mangos are Nutritious

Mangos are SUPERFOODS containing over 20 different vitamins and minerals. Mangos are fat free, sodium free, and cholesterol free. According to the National Mango Board, 1 cup of mango has:

• 100 calories
• 100% of daily Vitamin C
• 35% of daily Vitamin A
• 20% of daily folate
• 12% of daily fiber 
• 10% of daily Vitamin B6

Mangos are Available Year Round

There are seven varieties of mangos and one is always in season. Each has a unique flavor and texture.  Read about the varieties at Mango.org.

Health Benefits of Mangos

Anti-Inflammatory Benefits
Researchers from Texas A&M University examined the absorption, metabolism, and excretion of gallic acid, galloyl glycosides, and gallotannins in lean and obese individuals that consumed 400g of freshly frozen mango pulp daily for six weeks. The study’s lead researcher suggests that extended mango consumption may offer increased anti-inflammatory benefits compared to sporadic mango consumption.

Gut Health
In a randomized pilot study, researchers from Texas A&M University, investigated the potential role of mango consumption in changes of the gut microbiota, bioavailability of galloyl metabolites, and anti-inflammatory activities in lean and obese subjects. They concluded that after six weeks of eating mangos, the fruit helped improve gut health in obese people.

Mango Trivia ... Allergies

Did you know mangos are related to cashews and pistachios? Some people have allergic reactions to mangos as they are not only related to cashews and pistachios but also poison oak, poison ivy, and poison sumac. If you have had a reaction to the other foods or plants, be cautious when considering whether a mango is the best choice for you.


Read more at Delicious Living ... New Studies Show Mangos Can Boost Health.

Can You Eat Half An Organic Pineapple?

Of course you can! Rely on Solely for convenient, fast ... fruit!

Solely Fruit Jerky

Solely creates fruit jerky made with ONLY FRUIT...one or two ingredients per fruit jerky bar. Their products are NON-GMO and organic. They do not add sugars or preservatives to their products.

Solely works hand-in-hand with farmers and has created a network of Solely Certified Farms that produce clean, non-GMO, organic fruits and vegetables.

Pineapple with Coconut has a pineapple taste with a hint of coconut. It is a chewy fruit bar that is naturally sweet.

Fruit Sauce ... Peach Style

I love making applesauce! Sometimes I add cinnamon and turn it into cinnamon applesauce. When I make applesauce at home I can control and sugar as well as the texture of the product.

When I find fruit on sale or a friend has a tree that has produced an abundant crop, I stock up on the fruit and turn some of the fruit into a sauce.

Simple to Make

Turning fruit into sauce is simple. All you need to do is cut the fruit and remove the seeds/pits. The fruit can be placed in a pot with a bit of water to line the bottom and the heat on low. Cook until the fruit is soft.

You can have a chunky sauce and leave the fruit the way it is and refrigerate or smooth it out in a blender, VitaMix, or with an immersion blender.

Peach Sauce

I pick peaches that are a bit soft; ones that slightly indent if I press on them. You can use ones even softer for more natural sweetness. I cook the peaches until they begin to separate from the skin just a bit. The fruit's natural sugars will be more evident and the sauce very juicy.

Storage

I store the sauce in glass jars that once held nut butter. I like to eliminate waste in my home so I reuse jars quite often. The jars are great as they can be packed in a lunch without creating more clean-up. The sauce will stay fresh in the refrigerator for a month.

Variations

If you wish to add CHIA SEEDS to make a fruit chia pudding/jam, you can add 1/3 cup of chia seeds to 1 - 1 1/2 cups of fruit sauce depending on the thickness you desire. This turns the fruit sauce into a jam like consistency. The jam can be eaten on its own or used as a spread with nut/seed butter.

Smoothie Bowl Formula ... A Breakfast Staple

I love recipes that can be modified based on flavor preferences and dietary needs. A smoothie bowl is just that "dish". You can customize the basic formula to create the breakfast you want ... and modify the recipe for  each member of the household. A smoothie bowl takes less than 5 minutes to make and clean up. it is a great quick-fix breakfast to enjoy when the weather is warm.

Pictured: Blueberry Smoothie Bowl with a garnish of walnuts, pepitas, and blueberries.

Smoothie Bowl Formula:

2 frozen bananas

1 cup milk of choice ( I use almond milk)

2 pitted dates (I order mine from Futterman Farms in Indio, CA)

1 cup of fruit

Optional: Protein Powder 

Topping Options:

• Granola
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Coconut
• Chocolate chips
• Fruit (to match flavor of bowl)
• Dried Fruit 

Pictured here is a smoothie bowl with raspberries, homemade granola, help seeds (Interstate Bait), and walnuts. 

A Smoothie Bowl is Quick to Prepare

I keep frozen bananas (ones that have started to get brown freckles) on hand at all times. To prepare a nutritious breakfast all you have to do is put the ingredients in your Vitamix (or blender of choice) and blend. After about a minute the bananas are chopped and integrated into the other non-frozen ingredients. You DO NOT want to OVER MIX, that would create a smoothie you DRINK not EAT with a SPOON. The clean up is simple. All you have to do is wash out the blender and put the bowl in the dishwasher.

Pictured here is a smoothie bowl with peaches, unsweetened coconut, pepitas, and walnuts.

Strawberry Nut Bread

My blank canvas today was Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix. To the mix I added Handfuls Cabo Crunch and fresh fruit. I made the recipe vegan by subbing "flax eggs" for the eggs and coconut butter for the traditional butter. Eating healthy does not take a lot of time and can be simplified by combining some "packaged" foods with some fresh ingredients. This bread can be eaten within 45 minutes of starting the recipe!

Ingredients for the Gluten Free and Vegan Bread:
2 cups Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix
2 FLAX EGGS
1 TBSP coconut flavoring
1 cup diced strawberries
2 packages Cabo Crunch (or 2 cups dried fruits/nuts mixture)
1/4 cup coconut butter
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

Instructions:

• Prepare the flax eggs 
• After the flax eggs are done, add the coconut butter, strawberries, and coconut flavoring and mix well
• Add the Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix and mix well
• Add the Cabo Crunch and mix for a few seconds to weave into the mixture

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes then insert a knife in center to check to see if it is done. If the knife does not come out clean, check again every 5 -10 minutes until done. This bread tastes best warm, but is enjoyed at room temperature too. If you do not finish the loaf within the day it is made, cover and put it in the refrigerator.

NOTE: Cabo Crunch contains butter so the mix-in is not vegan

Pacakes with Seeds and Fruit

I keep going back to my TRIED-AND-TRUE recipe and making two/three ingredient pancakes and modifying the recipe.

Today I used:
Three Eggs from Papas Garden
Three RIPE bananas
1 TBSP cinnamon
2 TBSP Coconut oil (to coat the pan when cooking)
NOTE ... Eggs to Bananas Ratio is 1 to 1

I topped the dish with:
1/4 cup Hemp Seeds from InterstateB8
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (shelled/raw)
1 cup organic raspberries

Optional:
Add a drizzle of honey or SunButter
Add nuts

Instructions:
Mash the bananas, add the egg, and stir to combine
Add cinnamon (or vanilla or maple or almond - you pick the flavor) and combine
Let rest 5 minutes
Warm the pan and add part of the oil (cook on low to medium heat)
Add the pancakes
Flip when the edges are sturdy enough to support the flip ... 2-4 minutes per side

Roasted Bananas

I decided to roast bananas for a handful of recipes ... and eating on their own. The longer the bananas are roasted, the closer they come to making banana chips. I did not cook mine to the chip status as I was looking to utilize them in recipes.

Simple Roasting Tips:

• Preheat Oven to 375 
• Cut the ends off the bananas (I like to use bananas that are yellow with a few brown spots...a medium sweet banana)
• Cut the bananas in half lengthwise and width
• Place the bananas on non-stick aluminum foil with peel side down
• Optional: add a small amount of butter to the top of the banana or spray olive oil

Bake 30 minutes for a tender banana that can easily slide off the skin and be added to recipes or be eaten on its own.

Bake additional time to dehydrate  ... check after 1 hour as this will depend on your oven and the thickness of the banana slices and the ripeness of the bananas.