Category Archives: Friday Food Facts

Bananas Don’t Grow on Trees + More Fun Facts

07/24/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Avery has become a banana-loving toddler and she will throw a fit when there’s one in site and she doesn’t get to make it disappear. Add NuttZo to the equation, and, well, telling her “No” is not an option!

With our daughter’s current love for bananas, I figured I’d bring up an old post from my past foodie blog, Just Add Cayenne, and share some fun facts about bananas you probably didn’t know. I found them interesting before, and after reading (because we all forget), found them interesting again.

The following is taken directly from the post titled 15 Fun Facts for Friday: Bananas.

We all know and love bananas…right? Well, most of us do. In an attempt to make a quick, but interesting post, I wanted to share this list of 15 Facts You Probaly Didn’t Know About Bananas. Have a look; that’s scary to think a fungus could wipe out the whole banana population.

Imagine, a world without bananas…..

No peanut butter and banana sandwiches or wraps. : (
No mashed banana to make Low-fat Peanut Butter Bread. : (
No cool and creamy easy banana ice cream. : (
No chocolate peanut butter banana smoothies. : O

And the list can go on and on…

I enjoy bananas, and from the other bloggers I read out there, you like them too. Here’s a post I made a while back on banana benefits and how to enjoy them. Sometimes, I just unwrap a banana, mash several dry roasted almonds inside, and then proceed to eat. I’ll do this when there’s no peanut butter around or when I want a sweet, salty, and crunchy treat.

Q: How do you enjoy using bananas? If you don’t like them, is it allergies or just plain repulsed by the green/yellow/black-spotted yellow fruit?

Now go get yourself a banana, a jar of NuttZo (or nut butter of choice) and enjoy your Friday!

Food, Friday Food Facts

Friday Foodie Fun Facts: Fennel and Fenugreek

10/31/2014 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Happy Halloween, we’re celebrating Avery’s first by trick-or-treating and saying we don’t want anything but to say hi! Although today is Halloween and I should be posting something about how to avoid over-consumption of candy by your little ones as well as yourself, I wanted to share a post from my previous blog.

Ready to roll as a pumpkin! Original, I know.... — Ready to roll as a pumpkin! Original, I know….

Before I was a dad, I had another blog centered on healthy food called “Just Add Cayenne”. Obviously, you can tell I’m a fan of spicy food, but despite the name, I shared a lot of healthy dessert recipes/ideas too. You can check it out by clicking on the “Just Add Cayenne” page tab above and look around for a while.

I’m always interested in the health benefits of food and prefer to use it in place of traditional medicine whenever possible. For instance, I haven’t taken something like ibuprofen or aspirin for aches and pains in years; I use cayenne (hence the blog’s name) or ginger for their anti-inflammatory properties instead. I feel much better in doing so, and know I’m not sabotaging my gut lining or other insides as a result.

As I’ve mentioned many times before, Going Mom knows the importance of breastfeeding, and I’m extremely happy and proud that she’s giving Avery the best nutrition available. I mean, Nature’s pretty damn good at knowing what we need, and no formula or rice cereal will ever replace it! Unless you’re unable to for some reason, I see no good reason why you wouldn’t breastfeed your children.

Lately, Kelley has been concerned about her production and we’ve been looking for natural alternatives to give it a boost. She’s been drinking Traditional Medicinals Mother’s Milk herbal tea for a while now, but doesn’t always have time to brew a cup of tea with her busy work schedule on top of needing to pump. So, now I’m trying to boost things by adding fenugreek to her meals and soon we’ll have a fenugreek supplement to use too.

For the record, I think she’s doing fine and Avery doesn’t seem to complain (besides when she’s just a fussy baby), but either way, as you will see, there are plenty of other benefits to using fenugreek as well. Below is my original post from my old blog which also includes fennel since it’s another healthy addition to you meals. Plus, it made for a lot of “F’s” in my post title!

I have two awesome foods for you to add to your meals to create functional flavors that boost nutrition. One powder from the licorice flavored vegetable, fennel, and the other from an herb, fenugreek. Both of these have very distinguishable flavors that stand out in dishes. For that reason, you have to be careful because too much could ruin a dish.

These are both new functional flavors I’ve started to add to my diet and hope to feel a difference after using for a while. Fennel and fenugreek are known for alleviating annoying digestive issues (what? we all have them!) along with several other ailments.

Here’s a sample of fennel’s multiple health benefits, as listed on Organicfacts.net:

The health benefits of fennel include relief from anemia, indigestion, flatulence, constipation, colic, diarrhea, respiratory disorders, menstrual disorders, eye care, etc. Fennel, bearing the scientific name Foeniculum Vulgare Miller, or its essence, is widely used around the world in mouth fresheners, toothpastes, desserts, antacids and in culinary.

Fennel is a diuretic, i.e. increases amount and frequency of urination, thereby helping removal of toxic substances from the body and helping in rheumatism, swelling etc. It also increases production and secretion of milk in lactating mothers and since this milk contains some properties of fennel, it is anti flatulent for the baby too. It strengthens hair, prevents hair fall, relaxes body, sharpens memory and has a marvelous cooling effect in summer if the pale greenish-yellow water, in which it is soaked, is taken with a bit of sugar and black-salt.

And no, I am not using it for production of milk in my breasts. I’m neither lactating nor a woman; the indigestion and stomach relief is what I’m after. (Edit: And to boost Kelley’s milk supply too!) Read the full benefits of fennel here.

Fenugreek’s health benefits, also listed on Organicfacts.net, are:

The health benefits of fenugreek include relief from anemia, pregnancy pains, increasing lactation, digestion, loss of taste, fever, hair care, dandruff, stomach disorders, biliousness, respiratory disorders, mouth ulcers, sore throat, diabetes, inflammations, wounds and insomnia..

Most of these benefits of fenugreek are due to the presence of saponins and fiber in it. Fenugreek is also used for herbal healing. Its seeds contain a gumming substance called mucilage. Mixed with water, mucilage expands and becomes a gelatinous soother for irritated tissues.

Fenugreek is used to treat wounds, inflammation and gastrointestinal ailments. Fenugreek helps in antioxidation. So, it prevents and repairs damages caused by free radicals. According to ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, fenugreek can be used for inducing labour and aiding digestion. It is also good to improve metabolism and health. Irritated skin condition can be soothed by the external application of fenugreek. Fenugreek is also used for fevers and muscle aches.

Fenugreek is considered to be a safe herbal food. It is also used as a spice and tastes oddly of bitter celery and maple syrup.

Read more of fennel’s health benefits here.

Hopefully I will share a successful outcome with Going Mom’s production, but as you see, there are many other benefits to these foods and I recommend adding them whenever possible.

Have you ever used fennel or fenugreek?

Any moms out there that have tried boosting lactation naturally?

Do you have any new herbs or spices in your diet?

Food, Friday Food Facts, Life

My Wife is Leaving Us + Friday Foodie Fun Facts: Beets

09/26/2014 R.C. Liley 1 Comment

Now that’s a title with a mixed vibe, huh?

There’s the dark and gloomy (sounding) revelation of my wife leaving, and then the seemingly cheerful “fun facts” for beets. The two things have no place together, and yet, they’re there.

Well, no worries, my wife, Going Mom/Kelley, is not leaving in the divorce sense or even anything related to our relationship; it’s for work. Still high on the suckage scale, but no where near what it would be if she were actually leaving.

Before the sun rises on Monday morning, she’ll head to the airport to fly way up North for business and will be away for 2 full nights and not returning until late on Wednesday. I think the term Boo pretty much sums up my feelings on this.

Kelley has only been away from Avery once when we had our 7 year anniversary last month, and it’s been several years since her and I have been apart! Not that being away from me is a concern, it’s Avery she’s really going to miss. And who can blame her? I mean, just look at that sweet girl.

The majority of Avery’s calories still come from breast milk, so I’ll be breaking into to our reserve supply in the freezer just as G-ma had to when she watched Avery for our 7 year anniversary. There didn’t seem to be an issue then, so I’m hoping for no issues this time too!

I have no idea what it’s like to have to pump, but I understand how much trouble it already is for my wife, and having to do it while traveling won’t help matters. Kelley, I’m sorry, dear, I wish I could do more for you in that department. Just know what you do is highly appreciated and it gives our little girl the best source of nutrition! Of course, you already know this! 🙂

I have a feeling Going Mom will be adamant about getting quality time in with Avery before leaving for what will seem like an eternity, but really only 2 nights. Saying “2 nights” sounds better than “3 days”, don’t you think? It’s all about perspective.

While Kelley is gone, I’ll be able to test my true stay-at-home dad skills and feel ready to take it on. Avery, like any baby, can be challenging, frustrating, and confusing, but she’s also sweet, fairly active, and….well, still confusing. No matter what, I’ll make sure to enjoy it and of course keep Mommy filled in with lots of pictures being sent her way.

Hopefully we’ll both be so busy during the day that time will pass and she’ll be back home to us before we know it. Hopefully….

In the meantime, Avery and I can try out the delicious organic red beets we received in our co-op delivery this week. Beets are one of my favorite veggies, and I was excited to have them sent to us. I’m the only beet lover in the house, so naturally I’ll be the only consumer too. We will try giving them to Avery a little later when (hopefully) she reduces her tendency to throw food on the floor. That would make for a nice, red-stained rug in no time!

As I like to do with all of the food I eat, I looked up several fun facts on beets and wanted to share them here for Friday Foodie Fun Facts. All of these facts and more can be found on this page.

Beet juice, known to increase endurance, could boost libido, too. Its nitric oxide increases blood flow to the extremities.
Betacyanin, the pigment that gives beetroot its color, is an antioxidant so the humble beetroot could be the key to beating your hangover! Betacyanin speeds up detoxification in your liver, which enables your body to turn the alcohol into a less harmful substance that can be excreted quicker than normal.
One of the earliest known benefits of beetroot is its use as an aphrodisiac during the Roman times. It has been found to contain high amounts of boron, which is directly related to the production of human sex hormones. There’s no proof it has the same effect as Viagra, but you can have fun trying!
Beetroot contains betaine, a substance that relaxes the mind and is used in other forms to treat depression. It also contains tryptophan, and amino acid that helps promote a sense of well-being.
The red pigment in beetroot is used to color strawberry jam as well as to improve the color of tomato paste, sauces and strawberry ice cream.
Platina recommended taking beetroot with garlic to nullify the effects of ‘garlic-breath’.
You can use beetroot juice to measure acidity. When added to an acidic solution it turns pink, but when it is added to an alkali it turns yellow. If you consume a lot of beets/beet juice and your pee turns pink, you have low stomach acid, but if your pee is still clear or yellow, time to “turn up the beet”!
The Oracle at Delphi claimed that beetroot was second only in mystical potency to horseradish, and that it was worth its weight in silver.
In many cultures the belief persists that if a man and a woman eat from the same beetroot then they will fall in love.
If you boil beetroots in water and then massage the water into your scalp each night, it works as an effective cure for dandruff.
In 1975, during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, cosmonauts from the USSR’s Soyuz 19 welcomed the Apollo 18 astronauts by preparing a banquet of borscht (beetroot soup) in zero gravity.
Since the 16th century, beet juice has been used as a natural red dye. The Victorians used beetroot to dye their hair.
Beetroot is a water-soluble dye, and hot water seems to ‘fix’ the color stain more, so use lukewarm or cold water to avoid staining. To cure the inevitable ‘pink fingers’, rub with lemon juice and salt before washing with soap and water. On fabrics, try rubbing a slice of raw pear on the stain before washing, or rinse in cold water before washing in a biological powder.
The world’s heaviest beetroot weighed 23.4kg (51.48lb) and was grown by Ian Neale from Somerset in 2001.
Beetroot has one of the highest sugar contents of any vegetable. Up to 10 per cent of beetroot is sugar, but it is released slowly into the body rather than the sudden rush that results from eating chocolate.
Catherine Zeta Jones is reported to have become addicted to beetroot after eating it while pregnant with her two children.