Run.

stephaniezoccatelli:

BANANA BREAD PROTEIN PANCAKES:

• servings: 1 (4 pancakes)
• prep time: 4 minutes
• bake skillet: 250 degrees
• bake time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup Fage Total 0% plain greek yogurt
• 1 oz banana mashed
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp all-natural sugar-free applesauce
• 1 tbsp vanilla syrup
• 2 stevia packets (truvia or purevia)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp banana extract
• 1 tsp walnuts (finely chopped)
• a pinch of sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all the ingredients together till blended.  Preheat the skillet to 250 degrees and lightly spray with olive oil spray.  Using a 1/4 measuring cup, scoop mixture onto skillet.  Should make 4 pancakes.  Brown on both sides for 10 minutes each.  Cook slow.

NUTRITIONAL VALUES:

• calories: 332
• fat: 8 gr
• carbs: 40 gr
• protein: 26 gr

These sound awesome.

Conquer

(Source: fruitforthought)

nutritionista:

YES! I’m so happy to have another soup enthusiast on board. Thanks for sharing your recipe… I love the idea of combining sausage and sweet potato in a soup — a combo I don’t think I would have thought of!

goodhappyfit:

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

So I just noticed today that fellow blogger and soup enthusiast Nutritionista is doing this really cool thing where she plans to cook at least 25 new soups this winter. Seeing as how I, myself, am obsessed with soup and usually make at least one pot every week anyway, here is my little contribution to Season of Soup. I can’t wait to see what other recipes people come up with and try making them myself!

There are a few things that I really love about fall, and most of them are some sort of food item. One of them is squash. Another? Sweet potatoes. Last week at the grocery store I got all giddy when I realized, OMG sweet potatoes! I kinda forgot about them over the spring/summer! I stocked up on quite a few, and I knew right away that one of the first ways I wanted to prepare them was in a soup. I did a little researching online and found lots of different recipes for soups using sweet potatoes, butternut squash, etc., but I just ended up kinda making it up as I went along, which is one of my favorite things about making soup (it’s really hard to mess up).

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1 smoked turkey sausage, chopped into small pieces
• 1 or 2 small onions, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 medium russet potato
• 2 medium to large sweet potatoes
• salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, other seasonings
• approx. 6 cups liquid
• 2-3 dollops nonfat or 2% plain Greek yogurt

Other items:

• Large soup/stock pot
• Immersion blender!

What to do:

• Coat your pot with olive oil and heat over medium heat.
• Add the turkey sausage (I’ve been on a real sausage kick lately. It’s just so easy to work with) and let it brown.
• Roughly chop the onions and garlic. Add to pot.
• Try your best to remove the majority of the sausage from the pot and set aside. You could do this before adding the onions and garlic, but I wanted to let the flavors all cook together before removing it.
• Let the onions and garlic cook while you peel and roughly chop the potatoes. Add those to the pot, too. Stir.
• Season with salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, a bit of cinnamon, and/or whatever else you have a taste for.
• Add liquid. I used about 3 cups water and 2-3 cups vegetable stock. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil.
• Cover, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 45-60 minutes, or until the potatoes are nice and tender.
• Remove from heat, let cool slightly, and carefully puree using an immersion blender.
• Slowly whisk in 2-3 dollops of Greek yogurt. It’s important to add it a little bit at a time, and while the soup isn’t too hot, so it blends in smoothly without curdling. Or, add the yogurt after serving into bowls. That way, you can adjust according to your individual tastes.
• Return to heat and bring back to serving temperature, if necessary.

This soup was very yummy and definitely hit the spot on this cold, rainy day. I’m slightly obsessed with soup. Not only because it tastes delicious, but it’s also fun and souper (see what I did there?) easy to make!

This reheats well in the microwave, too, so make a big pot and have it for lunch throughout the week!

bookshelfporn:

The Occupy Wall Street Library via @dailydoseofjess

smartercities:

The Job Creating Potential of Local Food Systems | Sustainable Cities Collective

Jobs, jobs, jobs.  Although the recession is technically over, the (nonfarm) unemployment rate is holding constant at 9.1% and the American public are understandably nervous about their ability to find well-paying middle class jobs.  On the federal front, both the President and a new crop of potential replacements are pitching their plans to get America working again.  On the food front, Good Food advocates are shifting their focus to promote the job-creating potential of the local food movement.  On the surface, this makes a lot of sense.  Local food jobs cannot be outsourced, they are Green, the multiplier effect ensures that more money circulates in the region, and you don’t need to have years of formal schooling to land one (although sometimes it doesn’t hurt).  However, often these jobs are low-paying, seasonal, and physically demanding.  What follows are a few highlights of the local food system job boon, as well as a reminder that the slogan “will work for food” can be both a rallying cry and a disheartening sign of the times.

Researchers and Job Searchers Agree

from the Union of
Concerned Scientists

In recent months, several key reports have come out that highlight the prospects of a national strategy focused on food-related job creation.  A summary report recently released by the Union of Concerned Scientists cites numerous studies to make the case that farmers markets create wealth in a number of ways. Regional studies such as the those conducted for Northeast Ohio or by Ken Meter at the Crossroads Research Center use input-output models to demonstrate where money in the food system is leaking out of the region.  These analyses are helpful for policymakers to determine what areas of the food system need shoring up in order to ensure that food system jobs and money stay in the region.