Jen’s Delicious and Nutritious Easy Pesto Recipe.

I absolutely love a good, fresh, homemade pesto sauce, who doesn’t?! I also love using garlic scapes in my pesto as opposed to garlic. You may not know what garlic scapes are, and their many health benefits, so read on and watch the video to find a great new recipe, and to learn about garlic scapes and their great benefits. 

Garlic scapes are the tender stem and flower bud of a hardneck garlic (hardneck garlic is the kind of garlic that typically grows in Canada and the U.S.). 

Garlic is one of the few plants with two harvests; the scapes are harvested in the late spring, early summer, and the bulbs are harvested later in the summer. Harvesting the scapes is an essential step in growing your own garlic. If the scapes aren’t cut off, the garlic bulb doesn’t grow and will dramatically lack in flavour. The scapes should be cut when they start curling. 

Garlic scapes can be eaten and used in recipes just like garlic. They are a great source of calcium, manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and selenium. and antioxidants

The most tender parts are the tops of the stem. The buds are delicious chopped up raw. Sauté, roast, grill, BBQ, add them to omelettes or soups, pasta, stir frys, make dips, scape garlic butter, pesto, or just pickle them. 
To make my delicious, nutritious, nutrient-rich Garlic Scape Pesto you’ll need the following: 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup garlic scapes
• 2 tbsp pecans (you may substitute with other nuts or seeds for a nut free option)
• 2 tbsp hemp hearts
• 1/2 cup organic extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 fresh lemon, juiced 
• 1/2 Pink Himalayan salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast.

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Adjust seasonings if needed.

Note:
Makes 3 - 250 ml mason jars
The pesto can also be frozen. Use within 3-6 months.

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What are cruciferous vegetables and why are they critical to good health?

Cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, collard greens, and mustard greens are cruciferous vegetables. They are high in nutrients and low in calories.

They are well known for their cancer fighting properties and their ability to reduce inflammation. They are rich in vitamins C, E, and K. They are high in fibre and folate and the fact that they are rich in sulfur helps support the lungs by stimulating and restoring the growth of lung tissue. 

In addition, the following cruciferous vegetables have other great benefits. 

Kale - Helps destroy viruses and stimulates cell growth

Broccoli - High in trace minerals and support the entire body system

Brussel sprouts - Helps increase good cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol. Support the joints, purify the blood, spleen, and liver

Collard greens - stems have anti-bacterial properties 

Red cabbage - Great for rejuvenating the liver 

With so much information online, we have access to so many creative recipes to spice up our veggies. There are so many ways to include these nutritious foods in daily meals. Use fresh when in season or frozen. Pick a cruciferous vegetable (or two) a day and google a recipe. 

Enjoy and keep healthy! 
Jen

Are you consistently getting 7-10 servings of fruits a vegetables a day? Be honest now. 😊Canada’s Food Guide recommends that adults get 7-10 servings of veggies and fruit a day and children aged 4-8 get 5 servings. It’s proven that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease and some cancers. Diets insufficient in fruit and vegetable consumption increase the risks of diabetes, cancers, and obesity.

I get it. It’s not easy. It’s time consuming and costly and let’s face it sometimes we don’t feel like eating heaps of fruits or veggies. It can be quite tough to get our children to eat period, let alone eat nutritious foods.  I used to spend a lot more time in the kitchen and a lot more money in the supermarket in order to juice and make sure I was consuming enough fruits and veggies each day. Then I found out about Juice Plus+. Juice Plus+ is whole food based nutrition, including juice powder concentrates from 30 different fruits, vegetables and grains, enhancing a healthy diet. Juice Plus+ helps bridge the nutrient gap between what you should eat and what you do eat every day. Not a multivitamin, treatment or cure for any disease, Juice Plus+ is made from quality ingredients carefully monitored from farm to capsule to provide natural nutrients your body needs to be at its best.

For as little as $2 a day, you can consume 6 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

Direct message me if you would like more information or to order Juice Plus+ and inquire about how your children can get Juice Plus+ for free.

It’s never too late to start eating well and improving your health and lifestyle.

Stay healthy. 
Jen.