Chicky Chicky Boom Boom, it’s Friday!
Reader, the cost of gas skyrocketed yesterday where I live. And while looking at these prices on gas station price boards induces a nausea that rivals how I felt after watching Grease 2, my pain is your reward. In an effort to conserve that liquid gold in my car's tank, I have holed myself up in the confines of my apartment. And what better way to use my time than to work on my brand spanking new blog.
I am currently working on this month's nutrition hot topic. In the mean time, I wanted to introduce a monthly feature I'm calling...
Shameless Product Placement of the Month
I was initially going to make it a weekly thing, but quickly realized I don't have THAT many products I truly love in an unadulterated way. I mean how many food products do I actually consume on a regular basis that I am that passionate about? Come on Kimberly, let's be realistic.
April is the month of the lentil and lentils are the new chickpeas. That's completely not true, but I'm profiling a lentil dip so go with it. Want to reintroduce excitement to your wraps, sandwiches and/or baby carrot? Getting tired of your same old hummus? Yea, me neither. But I do like to change it up every now and then. (Note: I'm going to try my best to not make this sound like an infomercial.)
Manufactured by Berhanu, this vegan, kosher lentil dip has been dubbed "the Royal Cousin of Hummus". I'm all about products that contain few, simple ingredients. My mother has always been under the persuasion that if you can't say it, you don't eat it. I tend to go one step further and think that even if I can in fact pronounce it, if I don't know what it is, I don't want to put it into my body. I could digress into the predictable tangent of talking about how our bodies are temples but I'll spare you. Needless to say, I still eat foods that contain ingredients I'm not totally familiar with. Just ask the empty 100-calorie pack at the bottom of my trash can.
Moving on. Ingredients of this delectable spread include organic black lentils, olive oil, lime juice, peppers, onions and sea salt. That's it!
So what exactly are lentils anyway? These little round disks are legumes and pack a powerful punch of protein, dietary fiber, and iron. For those of you who are not acquainted with lentils, here's the Sparknotes©:
1. Half a cup of cooked lentils is a mere 115 calories and a little over one ounce of protein.
2. Fiber
- Fiber plays a major role in keeping our bodies regular.
- I, as an individual, am probably way too in tune with my bowel movements. But I will tell you this people, snicker about it, hide from it or blush over this natural process of the body all you want. But bowel movements are like a warning light in your car. If there is too much or too little, it's telling you something is amiss.
- Fiber is also involved in lowering cholesterol and regulating our blood sugar levels.
- Warding off large peaks and valleys in our blood sugar helps us control hunger.
3. Iron:
- Common sources of iron include spinach and red meat.
- Menstruating and pregnant women, as well as children have higher iron requirements.
- Iron is a part of hemoglobin, a compound found in our blood stream that is responsible for the transportation of oxygen to other cells in the body.
I purchase Ah!Zeefa from Whole Foods, opting for the mild version. Below is a link to the Berhanu website. Check them out!
If I had a lentil spread recipe, I would put it here. Sadly, I don't. In fear of posting a recipe I haven't tried and ignorantly leading you down the wrong path, I'm not going to post one either. If anyone has a recipe they'd like to share with the rest of us, please put it below in the comment section!
Come back Monday for April’s Nutrition Hot Topic!
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