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Keeping your family happy (and fed) at dinnertime is a balancing act. It’s a fine line between making sure everyone’s preferences and dietary restrictions are accommodated while also maintaining your sanity. There may never be one perfect solution, but this pan from Chicago Metallic can at least help with lasagna night.
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Whenever you hear the words “free two-day shipping,” what do you think of? Amazon, right? While the online giant should get credit for popularizing the speedy delivery option, it’s certainly not the only store doing it these days. And that’s good news, obviously, if you’re not willing to shell out the $99 a year for a Prime membership to get the deal.
Here are five big retailers you might not have realized offer a similar free two-day shipping option.
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According to the stats, more than 80% of American adults use coffee to get going in the morning. Increasingly, we’re getting collectively pickier about what we drink, too. A report released this year by the National Coffee Association found that, for the first time in 67 years, more than half of all coffee consumed daily was classified as “gourmet.”
But let’s be honest. There’s a lot of junk in that category—syrups and whipped toppings, soy milk and sugar galore. It’s a damned shame because coffee can offer big health benefits when done right. When done even better? Well, let’s take a look.
Whether you’re getting your coffee to-go or brewing a batch at home, know which sources are best. What certifications should you look out for? What questions should you ask your barista? What’s worth avoiding altogether? Let’s dive in.
Coffee has one of the highest pesticide application rates in the world, with studies showing full-spectrum pesticide residues (including DDT) in many conventional coffee beans are more common than not. It seems like an easy win, but some research shows that washing and roasting together remove most of the pesticides residues from coffee beans. So, I wouldn’t sweat it for the sake of toxicity. However, other studies indicate organic coffee may be more liver-protective and higher in health-promoting compounds than conventional coffee.
Recently, there’s been a surge of interest regarding the potential contamination of coffee beans and products with mycotoxins, and it’s a debate which continues to raise hackles. Essentially, mycotoxins are the by-products of fungi that grow virtually everywhere and on everything. In the coffee world, there’s two types of mycotoxins in particular that are known to cause their fair share of health issues when ingested—Aflatoxin B1 and Ochratoxin A.
Both Aflatoxin B1 and Ochratoxin A are known carcinogens (amongst other things), meaning it’s a good idea to avoid them when you reasonably can. But it’s estimated that they contaminate around 25% of all foods, leading many coffee aficionados to question the credibility of claims that certain forms of growing and processing can ensure (pricey) products labeled “mycotoxin-free” are much better than those that simply use fairly standard practices most higher quality coffee producers employ anyway. Those same folks also tend to quote a study showing roasting contaminated coffee beans reduced mycotoxin levels by an average of 69%.
As I’ve shared recently, I wouldn’t stress about this point because coffee consumption appears time and again to be protective against most types of cancer and shows a protective relationship with all-cause mortality.
For a company to receive the Fair Trade cert, they must employ strategies for environmental sustainability on the grow op. It’s possible that this could mean less chemical applications during growing and healthier soils, which means a less toxic, more nutrient-dense coffee…but that’s really just pure speculation. Either way, ethically, it’s still preferable to a coffee that isn’t Fair Trade.
That being said, Fair Trade coffee isn’t well known for having high quality standards. As an alternative, you could consider buying “direct trade” coffee – but this doesn’t necessarily guarantee anything, meaning the quality (and therefore health factor) of the coffee in question is dependent on the importer/roaster.
Single origin is another area where there’s a decent amount of uncertainty, but the fact remains that drinking blended coffee makes it harder to determine whether the origins of your beans were good or somewhat lacking in the quality department.
While coffee connoisseurs might argue that blends produce tastier, more complex flavors, there can be a tendency for certain importers to select cheaper beans and hide behind the un-traceability of their brew.
In addition to the amazing ecological benefits presented by shade-grown coffee, there’s also a decent amount of research showing the nutritive advantages of shade-grown over conventional coffee beans. This study, for example, showed that beans grown under lychee shade had higher yield, greater phenolic content and superior antioxidant activity than conventional beans.
It’s a well-known fact that the antioxidant potential of a given coffee bean can be vary considerably depending on whether it is green (aka raw) or roasted. Studies have shown that, while green coffee has higher levels of chlorogenic acid (itself a very desirable antioxidant), roasted coffee tends to have higher levels of protective antioxidants.
If you have the choice, opting for roasts that fall within the middle of the scale (like blonde and medium roasts) should provide the highest levels of bioactive phytochemicals.
Ultimately, whether you choose Arabica or Robusta beans comes down to personal taste more than anything. The antioxidant potential of each varies considerably depending on the region it was grown in, the way it was processed, and how it was roasted…meaning recommending one over another is a bit of stretch.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that Robusta generally has significantly higher levels of caffeine than Arabica. Depending on your needs (and considering the fact that caffeine is an antioxidant itself), this may be a more influential factor in choosing between the two kinds.
If you’ve made the decision (or had your hand forced by the powers that be) to steer clear of caffeine, decaf coffee is still an okay choice…provided you choose wisely. Typical methods of caffeine extraction include organic solvents, water, or supercritical CO2. Most is produced using solvents like methyl chloride and ethyl acetate, which you really don’t want, so finding a decaf that doesn’t use nasty chemicals to remove the caffeine is the name of the game.
Keep in mind that decaf does tend to be a bit lower in antioxidants than regular, and that it’s not completely free of caffeine.
As with all perishables, coffee is not immune to the vagaries of air, light, heat and moisture. Here’s a few tips on how best to store your coffee to avoid significant declines in quality and taste:
Coffee by itself is good, but coffee with strategic additions is even better. Here are a few health-minded upgrades that may not only make your coffee taste a whole lot better but amplify its already impressive nutrient profile as well.
If vegetable oil based “creamer” is the epitome of lousy coffee, real cream is the pinnacle of coffee excellence. Because of the high fat content, choose organic at least and (even better) grass-fed to get the most benefit from those healthy fats.
While cream has less allergenic potential than the likes of milk, it still contains trace amounts of lactose and casein. Macadamia cream certainly comes to mind, as it’s almost as rich and fatty as dairy cream. Tahini is also a decent cream substitute, due to it’s high fat content and coffee-compatible taste. And coconut cream is another obvious alternative, but the taste isn’t for everyone and it’s essential to find a product that isn’t laden with additives, preservatives and plastics.
Butter is even less likely to provoke food allergies than cream, and it’s almost as tasty. Beyond all the Bulletproof-esque hype, there’s undeniable benefits to adding butter to your cup of Joe—like easier absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins in coffee, and the vitamins and healthy fats in the butter itself. This is especially true for grass-fed butter.
Nine times out of ten its natural sweetness is enough to make up for any lack of sugar. Plus, there’s the fact that it can offset any blood sugar spikes if you also end up adding sugar, and the way in which it’s earthy spiciness blends seamlessly with the flavors of a robust brew.
In a study published last year, blending coffee with cardamom produced enhanced free radical-scavenging and antioxidant properties over coffee alone. And if you’re partial to a little cardamom in desserts, you’re bound to enjoy it in your coffee.
If you’ve got a soft spot for mocha, you could do worse than to add some raw cacao nibs or ultra-dark (>85%) chocolate to your daily cuppa. Cocoa beans are loaded with polyphenols, healthy fats, and a bucketload of flavor that pairs swimmingly with coffee beans.
A quick and dirty method is to roughly chop some dark chocolate squares, pour some freshly brewed, hot coffee on top to melt the chocolate, and add a decent serving of fresh cream to complete a drink that can hold its own against any mocha out there.
Finally, for anyone who’s craving some now, check out these 7 healthier coffee recipes that use many of the strategies above.
Thanks for reading, everyone. How do you make your morning brew the best? Got any great healthy additions I didn’t cover here?
The post 14 Ways to Make Coffee Healthier appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.
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A few months ago, after yet another stack of bright plastic plates tumbled out of an upper cabinet, I set up a dedicated drawer for all of my daughter’s kitchen things. I put everything in there: her plates, bowls, cups, and placemats. It’s a big drawer, so we also store her cooking tools there too, including a crinkle cutter, small cutting board, masher, and ice pop molds.
It was a magical aha moment, and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it earlier. This simple change instantly changed her relationship to getting ready for mealtime — and cleaning up afterwards. And it’s restored the calm to the rest of our cabinets, which has been a relief to me after a few years of living with the chaos. Here’s why I now recommend it to everyone I know with little kids.
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The first thing I suggest making in your brand new electric pressure cooker is hard-cooked eggs (seriously, so easy to peel). The second? Basic chicken breast! This dinner staple cooks up perfectly every time in the Instant Pot. You can aim for firm but juicy chicken for cubing, or let it cook a little bit longer for tender shredded chicken.
Instant Pot chicken breast is also as ingenious for meal prep (hello, more oven space!) as it is for weeknight dinners. You can even cook frozen chicken breast this way while you figure out the rest of dinner. Ready for the simple steamed chicken breast technique you’ll use over and over again?
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I’ve made it a rule that no matter where my husband and I live, we must be in the nearby vicinity of a cute artisanal cheese shop. (It’s important to have priorities when looking at real estate!) I love being able to walk a few short blocks and sample all the stinky goodness the mongers are willing to slice up. (The trip burns calories, which justifies whatever I’m about to buy, right?)
While I can easily drop $50 on fancy cheeses, I don’t always have the budget (or the time) to justify a special trip to my local cheeserie (please let this term catch on!). So sometimes I just get my fix at the supermarket while I’m doing the rest of my shopping. And you know what? Even my so-so supermarket has some good cheeses. I’m guessing yours does too — you just have to know what to look for.
Here’s a list of three things to look for when shopping for good cheese at your supermarket.
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Is taco Thursday a thing? It totally should be, if only for an excuse to make these chicken tinga tacos. With only 10 minutes of prep and 10 minutes of cook time, these flavorful tacos can be on your table tonight.
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Made-to-order omelets are a breakfast I always enjoy but rarely execute in my own home. The extensive prep and required attention over the stove so early in the morning means I reserve filling egg breakfasts for when I am the guest of honor.
That is, until I realized that with a bag of frozen potatoes, fresh spinach, pork sausage, and Swiss cheese at my side I can mix up a mean breakfast — and most of that cooking takes place while I sleep.
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With warmer weather comes that itch to clean the heck out of your kitchen! And no wonder — after months of nesting, cooking heavy foods, and eating every meal indoors, there’s a buildup of grime that the brighter sun can’t help but illuminate. If you’re wondering where to start (or what really needs to get done) try this comprehensive A-to-Z Spring Cleaning Checklist.
Don’t worry — you don’t have to do everything on this list (that would take forever!), but it should help you see what needs to get done.
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This chicken is all about contrasts: Not only is it sweet and spicy, but it’s also savory and sour. And the stickiness of the dish is offset by the crispy skin and tender, juicy meat.
Your tongue is hit with a little something different every time you take a bite — sharp ginger, honeyed apricots, aromatic garlic, earthy soy sauce — and yet all these various sensations and flavors mingle together in perfect harmony in one weeknight-friendly skillet dinner.
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