To help you identify the items in the March 2nd co-op style produce shares…
Need recipes? Our recipes page has got ya covered.
Follow us on Instagram for more in-the-moment photos from the UA team.
To help you identify some of the items in this weekend’s co-op style produce shares…
Follow us on Instagram for more in-the-moment photos from the UA team!
On day 15 of Get Healthy Co-op Style, UA member and Health Coach Kim Wilson shares how veggies can satisfy your sweets cravings!
Please follow along, join us, blog, tweet and Facebook about it and be sure to use hashtag #GetHealthyCoopStyle.
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by Kim Wilson, Health Coach
Most of my clients crave sweets. I used to be a “sugar addict” myself, so I know firsthand how difficult it can be avoid sweet treats (they are everywhere)! Rather than depending on processed sugar to satisfy cravings, it’s a great idea to add naturally sweet foods to your daily diet to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Sweet vegetables soothe our internal organs and energize the mind. And because many of these vegetables are root vegetables, they are energetically grounding, which helps to balance out the “spaciness” people often feel after eating other kinds of sweet foods.
Examples of sweet vegetables include:
A simple way to cook these vegetables is to follow the recipe below that I call “Sweet Sensation.” It has few ingredients and preparation time is minimal.
Other cooking methods include steaming, roasting, and stir-frying. They can also be simmered and puréed to create a soup, or you can simply eat them raw, grated in a salad. Be creative!
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Kim Wilson Pollock is a Certified Holistic Health & Wellness Consultant dedicated to helping busy individuals live a healthier lifestyle. She received her certification through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Kim’s life changed in 2006 when her mother was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer. Her mom decided to fight her cancer through nutrition by changing her diet and eating real foods, juicing green vegetables and creating delicious green smoothies and Kim was quick to join her mom in this new lifestyle! Visit her at [www.kimwilsonhealthcoach.com]. Follow Kim on Facebook and Twitter.
It’s day 10 of Get Healthy Co-op Style – the perfect day for UA member and health coach Kim Wilson to share 10 amazing health benefits of beets. We ♥ our Texas beets here at Urban Acres!
Please follow along, join us, blog, tweet and Facebook about it and be sure to use hashtag #GetHealthyCoopStyle.
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by Kim Wilson, Health Coach
Do you get excited when you see beets in your UA co-op style produce share? I do! Beets pack a powerful punch when it comes to your health! And although they might be a little messy to cook with (yes, they stain your hands a purple/red color temporarily), they are one of the most important vegetables you can eat!
Here’s why beets are so amazing:
Juicing beets will deliver all of these nutrients to your cells faster! Here is a great recipe:
Ingredients:
Directions:
For a sweeter drink, add an apple, or use 2 apples instead of the carrots.
There are several ways to consume beets besides juicing them! The outer skins should always be peeled. Then they can be grated raw and sprinkled on salads or you can chop them up into quarters, steam them and prepare as you would any vegetable. YUM! Get plenty of beet & beet greens recipes here.
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Kim Wilson Pollock is a Certified Holistic Health & Wellness Consultant dedicated to helping busy individuals live a healthier lifestyle. She received her certification through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Kim’s life changed in 2006 when her mother was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer. Her mom decided to fight her cancer through nutrition by changing her diet and eating real foods, juicing green vegetables and creating delicious green smoothies and Kim was quick to join her mom in this new lifestyle! Visit her at [www.kimwilsonhealthcoach.com]. Follow Kim on Facebook and Twitter.
We’re already lovin’ our delicious beets from this Saturday’s co-op style produce share. They’re local too – from Gundermann Acres in Wharton County, TX. You might have noticed some holes in your beet greens, but please don’t throw them away! You can eat the greens, and some holes in the greens is actually a good indication.
Why are there sometimes holes in organic produce?
A few holes in your produce (especially greens) are a very telltale sign that it’s organic. It’s actually a good thing, because it means the produce is not sprayed with any chemicals to repel the pests.
For more info, read What’s With These Holes In My Kale?
So you might be asking, “Why aren’t there holes in organic produce at the grocery store?”
Most big grocery store chains – even those that sell a lot of organic produce – are concerned with a perfect “look” to the produce. Several of our local organic farmers say they are not able to sell produce that isn’t perfect-looking to many of their big chain accounts. Guess those cute local peaches with a “nose” won’t make the cut. 
The same goes for greens that have some bug holes. But we’ll take ‘em! We love the imperfect look of organic produce straight from the local farmer. And we hope you do, too.
*Please remember that when working with fresh produce, availability can sometimes change last-minute. We do our best to let you know what’s coming ahead of time, sometimes there are slight variations in the shares that we can’t predict at the time this is posted. Thanks for your understanding!
Here are some recipe ideas for ya…
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Most often found in Asian grocery stores, the Daikon radish looks like a large, white carrot, though it has the flavor of a radish. It is used as a food herb in Asian herbal medicine. Both the tuber and the seeds are used medicinally.
Its uses are many, treating such problems as cough and asthma, low energy, and yeast infections. Daikon also treats many digestive issues, including nausea, irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, and heartburn.
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Kale, Mushroom, and Chickpea Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (try with regular potato!)
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Arugula Salad with Beets and Goat Cheese
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The Pioneer Woman’s Roasted Carrots
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Straight from the Texas valley, Texas Red Grapefruit are sweet, juicy and tree-ripened, literally stored on the tree to peak of perfection. The Rio Star grapefruit combines the two reddest varieties – Rio Red and Star Ruby grapefruit. It has an overall blush on the exterior peel with a deep red interior color which is 7 to 10 times redder than the Ruby Red.
Or get lots of recipe ideas on our Pinterest page!