From Ferra

Zucchini is dominating the gardens right now.  If you are looking for a way to use up some zucchini, why not make this delicious salad for a local, seasonal dinner that tastes amazing.  This Asian zoodle salad is delightful!

You can find the full recipe on my website at www.fromferra.com

Stuffed Bell Peppers 🫑

Bell peppers are in season which means they are plentiful right now! Why not make these for a local, seasonal dinner that your family will love. Or, make them for yourself and you can enjoy the leftovers for a few days.

Find the full recipe at www.fromferra.com

Beat the heat with these 5 refreshing infused water recipes! 🍋🥒🫐🌿

Infused water not only adds a burst of flavor and will keep you from wanting something other than water but it also provides extra vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to keep you energized throughout the day. In this blog post, we will explore five delightful infused water recipes that will keep you cool, hydrated, and nourished this summer.

Head over to www.fromferra.com for all the details.

📷: Mariah Hewines on Unsplash

Duck Fat Potatoes 🥔🍟

Why duck fat?

First, the taste is amazing!  Second, cooking with duck fat is a great way to get a wide variety of healthy fats into your diet.  Why do we want a variety of healthy fats?  Let me get a little nerdy here and share some things I learned at the NTA.  Stay with me here because this is good stuff!

Have you ever heard the phrase, you are what you eat?  Every cell in our body is made of the foods we consume.  If you don’t eat a variety of good quality fats and give our cells the fats they need, they lose the ability to transfer nutrients and waste in and out of the cells.  Our bodies make cell membranes from the types of fats we consume.  This is why it’s very important to eat a variety of healthy fats! Duck fat is one of those healthy animal fats that we should eat more of and remove those highly processed fats like canola, soybean, vegetable oil and margarine.

Head over to my website for this simple, easy recipe that's only two ingredients!

www.fromferra.com

Happy May! 🌞🌱

These are the foods that are in season in May in North Carolina. If you want to know what's seasonal in your neck of the woods, head over to www.seasonalfoodguide.org

Why should we eat seasonal foods?

You should eat foods that are seasonal where you live. Eating foods that are in season ensures we get a wide variety and diversity of food and nutrients throughout the year. Did you know that most adults get 60% of their calories from just 3 foods (corn, wheat and soy)? 😳

Eating local seasonal foods also supports your local farmers and reduces the carbon footprint of the food.

📷: The last picture is a salad I made from my CSA box this week. It's spinach, arugula, radish shoots, collard florets, roasted carrots, beets, pistachios, goat cheese and grilled chicken.

Crispy Carnitas 🌮🍍🥑

My crispy carnitas are live on the blog. Who doesn’t love carnitas?! These carnitas are one of my favorite things to make for a large crowd. Set them out with a bunch of taco toppings, chips and dip and you have an easy spread for a lot of folks. Don’t forget to include my pineapple salsa and guacamole in your spread.

https://www.fromferra.com/crispy-carnitas/

We've all heard that turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory spice, right? But, did you know that in order to get all the benefits of this beautiful, amazing spice, you need to add black pepper to it? "Black pepper increases the absorption of the healing components in turmeric." - Deanna Gabriel Vierck

Anytime I add turmeric to a dish, I always add black pepper to it to boost those anti-inflammatory properties!

The thought of stepping into a stream of icy water may send shivers down your spine, but if you're looking for a quick and easy way to boost your overall health and wellbeing that has an array of science-backed benefits, cold showers might just be the ticket. From improving circulation to boosting mood and energy levels, check out my blog post to learn why you should consider taking a cold plunge.

Head over to my website to learn all the benefits of taking cold showers and how to ease your way into it. Before long, I bet you'll be craving it!

www.fromferra.com

📣 Eggs are a super food! 🍳

Eggs (yolk included) are one of the most nutrient dense foods you can consume! I would put them in the super food category. They are a great source of protein, omega 3 fats, choline, iron, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, vitamins A, D, E and K2, vitamins B2, B6, B12, biotin, all 9 essential amino acids, folate, iodine, selenium and antioxidants.

Of course, like anything, quality matters. Let me break down the differences:

Pasture Raised: Try to eat pasture raised eggs. The chickens are allowed outside to be in the fresh air and sunshine, on grass where they can forage for insects, worms and even snakes. Chickens aren't vegetarians so when you see that they were only fed a vegetarian diet, just know that's not a natural diet for chickens and their eggs won't provide the best nutrients.

Free Range: This is basically a marketing scam. The chickens are kept indoors but they have "access" to the outdoors where there might be one section of the house that gets sunlight and an opening to fresh air so the farm can call them free range.

Cage Free: The chickens are still kept indoors, in tight spaces and fed a vegetarian diet (usually) of grains, they just aren't confined to tiny cages within the chicken house. They never see the light of day or get fresh air.

We all know avocadoes are full of monounsaturated fats but I bet you didn't know that avocadoes are a great source of fiber too. In fact, they have more fiber than any other fruit. Did you know an avocado was a fruit? Avocadoes are a great supporter of the immune system too because they are full of powerful antioxidants. 🥑🥑

I try to eat an avocado every week. It's usually in the form of my chocolate pudding. You can find the recipe on my website at www.fromferra.com

How do you enjoy eating your avocadoes? Share in the comments to inspire others. ⬇️