Posts Tagged ‘superfood’

Convenient SuperFoods — Stock your pantry!

Monday, July 5th, 2010

Non-perishable SuperFoods are Convenient!

Foods that come out of a can or box often have added sugar, salt, or fat. These are not healthy and are a good reason why many people think they should avoid most convenience foods. While it is always a good idea to prepare healthy foods from scratch, it may not always be possible for you. Here are some healthy non-perishable foods to try.

Canned foods:

  • Low sodium and low-fat soups and sauces
  • Fruit in its own juice or water
  • Tuna in water or olive oil
  • Sardines or wild salmon
  • Low sodium vegetables
  • Low sodium beans or lentils
  • Sliced mushrooms, diced garlic or onions to cook with

Boxed foods:

  • Low sodium and low-fat whole grain side dishes such as brown or wild rice pilaf or Quinoa
  • Bean or lentil side dishes
  • Whole grain, plain couscous
  • Low sodium and low-fat whole grain crackers
  • Low sugar and whole grain cereals
  • Oatmeal
  • Low sodium and low-fat entrees that are organic or use whole grain ingredients
  • Low sugar and low calorie desserts

Snack foods:

  • Whole grain granola bars
  • Dried fruit
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Single serving apple sauce
  • Shelf-stable low fat or soy milk
  • Single serving hummus with whole grain crackers

When you have your pantry stocked with ready to go SuperFoods, you will always have an easy, healthy snack or meal in minutes!

SuperFood Drive helps celebrate San Diego Urban Slow Food’s 1 year anniversary!

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

It was an incredibly delightful feeling to recognize many of the faces who walked past the registration table at this evening’s San Diego Urban Slow Food’s one year anniversary celebration at the Vela Restaurant (the Hilton Hotel in downtown San Diego).  What was even more exciting was seeing how many of these familiar friendly faces came doting bags of nutrient dense non-perishables to donate to the evening’s SuperFood Drive.  In just 3 hours we collected almost two full barrels of healthy foods.  Beans, Grains, Nut butters and Canned fish galore!

There is a very special group of food-loving individuals in the urban San Diego community. Some may call them “foodies” and I am proud to be a part of this passionate group. These are people who care where the food they eat comes from; they care to meet the farmers, brewers, growers and distributers of the fruits, vegetables, grains, fish, eggs, dairy and meat they eat. These “foodies” delight over restaurant menus that boast locally grown produce and they swoon over the week’s freshest picks at the farmer’s market or in their CSA box.  These people enjoy getting together with good food, good wine and good friends to celebrate the slow food movement of awareness and enjoyment of what we eat.  What may sometimes go unnoticed is the fact this this group of intelligent, food-conscious individuals are also very generous when asked to give to others.  I received countless words of encouragement and praise for SuperFood Drive’s efforts as well as many people who stated they would like to learn about additional ways they can help with the cause.

Cheers to all of the Slow Food Members who bring a community consciousness to accessibility of locally-produced, organic, healthy foods.  And cheers to San Diego Urban Slow Food’s 1st year as an official chapter. May the years that come be as successful as 2009.

Fun Fundraising Feeds Many!!

Friday, December 11th, 2009

‘Tis the season of giving…

The Community Service Committee at the company I work for,  American Specialty Health, Inc., had a very successful month of fundraising in November and I wanted to share some of the clever, easy, fun fundraising ideas we came up with.

We started the month with a SuperFood Bake Sale (baked goods with a healthy twist) and asked for donations of $.50 per item.  People enjoyed the tasty treats while also learning new, healthy recipes to try during the holiday season.  One of my personal favorites was the mini whole wheat pumpkin muffins with dark chocolate chips!  Next came the “SuperStart your Day with a Blueberry Yogurt Parfait” where we made about 200 parfaits with layers of blueberries, nonfat vanilla yogurt and wholesome granola and only charged $3 each! These were really a hit!  We ended the fundraising month with a SuperNachos Fundraiser, topped off with fiber-rich black beans of course (for only $4 per plate).

With these three events, we raised $537.00, which when donated online via our virtual drive page, amounted to purchasing a whopping 2,148 meals! 

All it takes is some creativity, a bit of planning ahead and some excited volunteers for you to have your very own SuperFood Drive fundraisers at the company you work for or at an organization you are involved with.  Just subtract any costs (of the materials themselves) from the total amount raised and donate the rest on our virtual drive page.  This enables the food bank to purchase foods at wholesale price which means they can get more “bang for the buck” so to speak.  These fundraising events also allow for some wonderful educational opportunities along the way.  I would like to especially thank one very special, dedicated volunteer who was instrumental in our fundraising efforts at ASH this past month - Bernie Leon - Thank you! :)

Have other fundraising ideas? We’d love to hear them! Email us at ruthi@superfooddrive.com.  Happy Fundraising!

Get Healthy Foods in Schools

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
The Time for Lunch Campaign is a project of Slow Food USA, an educational non-profit with the goal of creating a world in which everyone can enjoy food that is good, clean and fair.  The Time for Lunch web site has been encouraging individuals to host Eat-Ins on Labor Day, Sept. 7th-cities and towns across America are getting people together to share a meal and send a clear message to legislators: It’s time to provide our children with real food at school.
An Eat-In is a potluck.  Because it takes place in public, it’s also an opportunity to bring your community together, to get the media’s attention and to build support for serving children real food at school.  Check online to find an eat-in in your community: http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/campaign/time_for_lunch-attend_an_eat_in/
In September, Congress will decide whether to update the Child Nutrition Act, which is the law that determines what 30 million children eat at school every day.  No one wants to have to tell a child, “2009 was the year we could have begun building a strong foundation for your health, for your security and for your opportunity to succeed.  But we missed our chance.”