Not all fruit spreads are made the same. Even the low-sugar options may not be your best choice. Check out HealthCastle’s Fruit Spreads 101 to get the low-down on your favorite peanut butter companion.

And next time your in the spread isle, why not try a jam made from one of these lower-sugar fruits:

• rhubard
• raspberry
• blackberry
• cranberry

But go organic, if you can. Those poor berries get sprayed with lots of pesticides.

Pumpkin butter is a delicious substitute for your traditional fruit spreads. Here’s a seasonal recipe that you can make yourself at home. Try it on your toast or breakfast muffin!

Pumpkin Butter

Makes about 2 cups

Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cook Time: 15 minutes, Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
• ½ cup agave syrup
• 1 t. cinnamon
• ½ t. ginger
• ¼ t. ground cloves
• 1/8 t. nutmeg
• Pinch of salt

Preparation:

And don’t forget the recipe for that delicious cranberry sauce we made last year! The holidays are coming! How healthy can you make them?

We did it! 30 Days strictly vegan! We ended the challenge right with a delicious Carrot and Quinoa Soup made with some of the beautiful fresh and organic produce I received from Farm Fresh to You! Have I not told you about Farm Fresh? Well let me get started…

A patient recently referred us to the company and I thought I’d try it out. The farm is located in the Imperial Valley, privately owned and completely organic. I received my first delivery this Tuesday morning. 8:30am and it was already waiting for me outside my front door. How exciting to wake up to a box of fresh fruits and vegetables. I love delivery!

What I like most about this CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) that differs from others is there is no commitment. I can cancel up to 48 hours in advance to a delivery and suspend a week if I’m going out of town. I can also choose to order weekly, biweekly, and even choose which produce I don’t want to receive. This prevents us from wasting foods we might not like.

The price is very reasonable and look at all the great produce we got!

So tonight I made one of the recipes included with my veggie box. (Isn’t that cool? It comes with recipes!) It called for the carrots, and carrot tops, and onion included in the box. I added some of the FarmFresh basil and the rest of the ingredients I picked up at Trader Joe’s on my way home from work.

Here’s the recipe for those who’d like to partake in it’s nutritional goodness! It’s a simple but hearty recipe…vegan, gluten-free, low on the glycemic index, basically good for everyone, unless you hate carrots. But who hates carrots?

Carrot and Quinoa Soup

• one bunch carrots and carrot tops (chopped)
• one onion (chopped)
• 4 garlic cloves (chopped)
• 4 cups veggie stock (plus extra if needed)
• 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed (I used red – but it doesn’t matter)
• salt and pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes (if you like it spicy)
• herbs of your liking (I used basil and parsley)

Saute onions, garlic and red pepper flakes over medium heat. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until carrots are tender. That’s it!  Simple, tasty, and good for you. Enjoy!

Oh by the way. If you live in California and are interested in signing up with Farm Fresh to You, contact me and I’ll send you a code that will save you $5 off your first purchase!

Happy Days!