Egg salad is great to throw on a wrap, on crackers, or a top a salad. Yesterday, I was working from home and feeling those lunch time hunger pains when I looked in my fridge and found only a few things that were worth eating for lunch. Eggs and avocados stood out. So, I threw together this Curried Avocado Egg Salad. I ate it straight with a fork and a few gluten-free crackers, but you can eat it however you like!

Makes 2 servings

4 hard-boiled eggs

Both Hank and I have a huge sweet tooth each night after dinner. It isn’t uncommon for us to search the fridge, freezer, or pantry in a panic to find “something sweet” for dessert. We usually end up going out to find ice cream. The other night I decided to try something new and came up with this Baked Banana dessert. It’s so sweet, but made with all clean ingredients. 

When you think of sunflower seeds, you may go back to your childhood days of popping them in your mouth, cracking the shell, chewing the kernal and then spitting out the empty shell. Would you ever think that those little snacks, usually consumed in the dug-out or in the stands of a baseball game, would be SO good for you?

Tiny sunflower seeds contain a world of nutrients. Fiber, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B9, Vitamin E, potassium, manganese, magnesium, iron, selenium, phosphorus and, unsaturated fat (“good fat”) are all found in one little seed. I should note, I’m talking about RAW sunflower seeds, not the ones in the slim packages that are flavored with salt and other fake ingredients.

Sunflower seed products are popping up everywhere these days. My favorite product is sunflower seed butter. The common question that most people ask me is why I chose sunflower seed butter over peanut butter. Peanuts are a large genetically modified crop and most of these GMO peanuts show up in commercial peanut butter. Also, commercial peanut butter usually contains large amounts of added sugar. Then the question would arise, “what about organic peanut butter?” It’s a safer bet and I would recommend it if you are stuck on peanut butter. But, why not try something new? Sunflower seed butter is filled with all of the nutrients listed above and is not a product of a GMO crop. Oh, and don’t forget about nut allergies….sunflower seed butter is a great alternative for those that suffer from nut allergies.
You can find sunflower seed butter at your local health food store, even Target is carrying it now. I get mine from EarthFare or Trader Joe’s.

Check out this sunbutter & crackers snack I found at Target for $3.99! It’s a nutritious meal!

Another way I love to use sunflower seeds is on top of stir-frys, salads, or in trail-mixes. Sunflower seed butter can be used exactly like peanut butter and used as a replacement for peanut butter in recipes. Stock up on raw sunflower seeds from your local health food store. They usually run about $3-$4 per pound and you can get a LOT of sunflower seeds for that!

Earth Day is Monday, so I feel like it’s appropriate to touch on non-toxic cleaners. Going green isn’t just the cool thing to do these days, it’s the only logical way to go when it comes to what you’re cleaning your house with. Having a clean home is a great feeling, but you may not realize that what you cleaned it with may have just made it dirtier.

If you have kids, I hope this doesn’t offend you, but it is what it is. You wouldn’t let your kids drink the cleaners under the sink because they are labeled as toxic, so why would you let your baby roll around on the floor that just been cleaned with them or eat off the counter that has been sprayed down with them? So many kids (and adults) suffer from Asthma from an early age. Toxic cleaners/chemicals have been linked to Asthma and other breathing problems and not to mention cancer and other problems with major organs for years now, but still people aren’t switching over? Why? The main excuse I hear…the cost. Medical bills will always trump the couple extra bucks a month.

So how dangerous are the toxic cleaners? Here are a few facts:

• 90% of all poison exposure occur at home.
• 1 in 13 school aged children have asthma. Asthma rates in children increased more than 160% from 1988-1994.
• EPA reports that air pollution is up to 5x higher inside than outside. We spend 90% of our time indoors.
• EPA studies indicate that elevated concentration of household chemicals persist in the air. Long term exposure to chemicals inside our homes is extremely harmful.
• Children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxins. Pound for pound of body weight, children drink more water, eat more food and breathe more air than adults. This is why children will have substantially heavier exposures than adults to toxins that are present in water, food, and air.
• The average US home generates more than 20 pounds of household hazardous waste per year (toilet cleaners, tub and tile cleaners, oven cleaners, and bleach). That’s HUGE.

Let’s talk specifics…

• Chlorine Bleach is the chemical most frequently involved in household poisonings in the U.S.
• Degreasers may contain petroleum distillates, which can damage lung tissues and dissolve fatty tissue around nerve cells.
• Glass Cleaners may contain ammonia. Ammonia fumes can irritate the skin, eyes, and respiratory system.
• Oven Cleaners can be among the most dangerous cleaning products and can cause severe damage to eyes, skin, mouth, and throat.
• Toilet Bowl Cleaners can be extremely dangerous cleaning products and can be harmful if inhaled—and fatal if swallowed. 

One of the things I’ve been excited about during this move is having people to cook for now. For my first homecooked meal, I cooked White Chicken Chili. It’s a keeper! I can’t wait to make it during the cold winter months.
White Chicken Chili
Adapted from my nutritious dish

1 lb frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 medium onion, diced
2 cans Great Northern Beans
16 oz chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 (7oz) can green chilies
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 cup full fat sour cream

Add the onion, beans, garlic, chilies, chicken broth, and all of the spices. Stir to mix well.
Cook on low for 7 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Remove the chicken the last 30 minutes of cooking to shred and then put it back in the soup. Stir in the sour cream and whipping cream until smooth. Continue to cook for the remaining 30 minutes.
Enjoy!