Natural Chow

Lentils may not seem like the most appetizing thing to eat, but let’s face it: sometimes we don’t have the means to make a super expensive meal for our glorious families. Sometimes we don’t have the time to make something fancy. But I can guarantee that you can afford to buy lentils and still prepare a delicious and intriguing dinner for your family. Not only are lentils one of the cheapest things to get in the grocery store their also pretty healthy. Lentils have the following health benefits:

1) Lower Cholesterol: Lentils help to reduce blood cholesterol since it contains high levels of soluble fiber. Lowering your cholesterol levels reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke by keeping your arteries clean.

2) Heart Health: Several studies have shown that eating high fiber foods like lentils reduces your risk of heart disease. Lentils are also a great source of folate and magnesium, which are big contributors to heart health. Folate lowers your homocysteine levels, a serious risk factor for heart disease. Magnesium improves blood flow, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Low levels of magnesium have been directly associated with heart disease, so eating lentils will keep your heart happy!

3) Stabilized Blood Sugar: Adding to the many benefits of fiber, soluble fiber traps carbohydrates, slowing down digestion and stabilizing blood sugar levels. This can be especially helpful for those with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia.

[Read more…]

I won’t waste your time because this is a totally awesome post. Last week we went to Dollar Tree, and, as most people do, spent like $35 dollars. But one of the major things we got was frozen fruit. For only a dollar, 10 to 14 ounces of fruit is a steal, not to mention the prices will sky rocket when autumn and winter hits. But the best thing about the fruit is that we’ve started to can, and you know what that means… JAM! With the frozen goodies, we can make strawberry, blueberry and mixed berry jam. [Read more…]