Today's vegetable just happens to start with the letter "A"

No I am not going alphabetically but after debating on where to start and what vegetable is to go first in my quest to learn more about food, I just happen to come across one that starts with the letter "A." How exciting!

First and foremost, I really wanted to and will try to stick with in season vegetables for the state of Maryland. Unfortunately, I am still a bit early for any of the local produce to really be in season and I have been finding varying reports through out the internet. So if there is a vegetable I am working with and you know for a fact its off season, please spare me from your comments. Its hard to write about all these vegetables during the off season. Spring and Summer are just around the corner and there will be plentiful to write about.

This week's vegetable is Asparagus Green. Yum!

For American's, many will learn to find that the asparagus green found at the grocery store is actually grown right in California. The farmers who cultivate asparagus start as early as April, but the peek season is March (yes we are right in it!!) and April. Around June, asparagus will start to taper off but still a select few farmers will grow asparagus well into October. In the United States, asparagus is grown in California, Washington State, Michigan, Illinois, and New Jersey (see there is a reason why they call it the Garden State.... yes I am from Jersey so hush!).

Why in the world should we eat Asparagus? I will be honest with you, my only real knowledge of this vegetable is from Austin Powers 3: Goldmember, when Austin powers has accidentally tripped and pulled the outlet for a fountain and he has to keep it going by peeing. Austin Powers eats a piece of asparagus in order to keep going... I know a great reference to this vegetable.

Asparagus is a low-calorie, low sodium vegetable (two thumbs up there) with a lot of vitamin A, C, and B6. In each serving (5 spears or 93g), there are 20 cals. I think I can handle that. It is also considered an excellent source of folic acid and is an important source of potassium. According to the National Cancer Institute, Asparagus is the highest tested food containing Glutahione, an insane / potent cancer fighter! I would give Asparagus a hero badge for that if I could... moving on... Additionally, asparagus is high in Rutin which is valuable in helping strengthen the blood vessels. Holy moly, I am pretty thrilled to have chosen this vegetable a starting off point for my journey!

Well asparagus definitely is a great healthy vegetables and honestly quite tasty For tonight's meal, I just steamed a few spears (1.5 serving sizes) and am having it with chicken and mashed potatoes. I seasoned it with a little bit of salt and pepper and so far, not bad not bad. I need to see if I can find other fun recipes that include asparagus as I want to see what I can do with it.

Asparagus...

Not bad indeed...

What are your thoughts and do you completely love it or do you hate asparagus? Leave a comment on your thoughts and ill see you tomorrow.

- Strands

**source: www.farmology.com, National Cancer Institute, California Asparagus Commission. **


**all images have been taken by Strands and are not to be copied, reproduced, or downloaded without written consent** 

Color Me A Diet

Every year, tens and thousands of people put on their new year's resolution list "this year I will lose weight" or "this is the year to get healthy." I don't know what percentage of that actually follow through and make the changes, but I know many don't.

Starting this past February, I started working with a trainer and within a month and a half, lost 15lbs and am on my way to leading a much healthier lifestyle. This isn't as easy as it sounds as I have had to change my way of eating and how I think about food completely. Is food the enemy here? Why can't food just be that satisfying product that goes into my mouth but does nothing else? I don't know those answers, but what I do know is to lose the weight and be much healthier, something had to change and change it did.

Fruits, Veggies, and Whole Grains have become my new companion and all the processed foods that taste so goods have been kicked out onto the streets. I feel bad, but they were just a bad influence to me and it needed to be done.

Each week, I am given a lesson on nutrition and what I should try to cut out of my current diet to help me progress further with my weight loss goals. This past week was more interesting and something I had considered once a long time ago, but now am looking into more seriously.

I was told to only eat foods with color. So if I think about that, foods with color would include all fruits and veggies. Whole Grains do not count as they are a bland color of brown and dairy will be eliminated as that is typically a bland color of white. Chicken is okay because it is yellow and eggs count because of the inner yolk being yellow. Of course I agreed to trying this for two weeks but seriously, what in the world? How could I give up my whole grains and my dairy? I don't get how anyone could do that but I let the idea fester within me for a day and decided that perhaps I should try to convert one meal each day to being part of a "color" diet and see how that worked out. I did own a few raw food recipe books and those I am sure would help me stay colorful.

So on Monday, I will be looking to color my diet with bright and beautiful colors and converting one meal a day into a raw food type meal. Easy, right? Then I thought, why not take this one step further and learn why you are eating what you are eating.

So each week, I am going to focus on a new fruit and vegetable and learn more about it. Along with that, I will use that particular vegetable for one recipe each day and try to create different meals with that produce (why do I see Iron Chef playing in my head?). I will also be working with finding foods at are in season for my area (i.e. Maryland), but may expand / branch out until it is warmer and more foods are in season here in Maryland.

Check back on Monday as I take this ride through a colorful selection of foods and perhaps find my way out of the land of the lost.