The Good Seed

Are you in search of a low-cal, low-fat, long lasting, healthy and satisfying treat that satiates while it supplies significant amounts of vitamin E, magnesium and selenium?  I thought so.

Try Sunflower seeds! 

These nutty little beauties come from the seed-studded center of the incredibly spectacular sunflower. The flower manufactures grayish-green or black seeds that are encased in gray or black shells.  The seeds are high in oil and are one of our main sources of polyunsaturated oil – one of the good fats.

Sunflower seeds are a good source of:

Vitamin E - an important vitamin that passes through your body and deactivates free radicals that damage fat-containing structures and molecules, such as cell membranes, brain cells and cholesterol;

Magnesium - helps reduce the severity of asthma, lowers high blood pressure and prevents migraines, as well as reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.   Magnesium is also necessary for healthy bones, and magnesium calms your nerves.

Selenium – helps to induce DNA repair and synthesis in damaged cells, inhibits the proliferation of cancer cells.

NOTE: Sunflower seeds should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator as their fat content is high, making them prone to rancidity. 

Nutritional Analysis Sunflower Seeds one ounce Calories /  162 Total fat (g) /  14 Saturated fat (g) / 1.5 Monounsaturated fat (g) /  2.7 Polyunsaturated fat (g) /  9.3 Dietary fiber (g) /  3 Protein (g) /  7

Carbohydrate (g) /  5 Cholesterol (mg) /  0 Sodium (mg) /  1 Vitamin E (mg) /  14 Folate (mcg) /  64 Pantothenic acid (mg) /  1.9 Copper (mg) /  0.5 Magnesium (mg) /  100 Manganese (mg) /  0.6 Phosphorus (mg) /  200 Potassium (mg) /  195 Selenium (mcg) /  17

How to Eat Sunflower Seeds: Crack the shell with your teeth, eat the seed and spit the shell.
Something to Strive For: An experienced seed chewer can fling a handful of sunflower seeds in their mouth, pocket them in the side of their cheek, extract the kernels from the shells one by one using their teeth, and tongue, and spit out the hard shell.

LINKS:
The sunflower spiral count - for the truly scientific.
Chew (or spit?) On This: Baseball and the Seed Shortage.

 

Special notice: There's a KICK in the TUSH CLUB forming in Houston - Oklahoma City - Brevard County, Florida. Want more info? Want to stay a Kick in the Tush Club in your area? Send me an email! info@ourladyofweightloss.com

 

 

Our Lady's Tush Bustin' Tips Exercise Tips for Exercise Drop-Outs & Top Ten Weight Loss Tips

Set up a KICK in the Tush Club in your area.

The Ten Commandments of Permanent Fat Removal as seen on Good Morning America!

The ART of WEIGHT LOSS - at the 92nd Street Y Sign Up NOW!

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Righteous Recipe ~ Sunflower Omelet

Ingredients: 4 large eggs, beaten Freshly ground black pepper, to taste; Salt as well 1 teaspoon sunflower oil 2 tablespoons raw sunflower seed kernels 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced 1/2 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced 1/2 cup baby spinach leaves 1/4 cup tomato, sliced 3 tablespoons minced fresh basil 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions: Place 10 inch non-stick skillet over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon oil. When hot, add sunflower kernels; toast, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes until lightly browned. Lower temperature and pour eggs into skillet over the toasted kernels. Cook, gently lifting edges of omelet allowing eggs to flow underneath until eggs no longer flow. Layer onion, mushrooms, spinach and tomato on one half of the eggs. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of herbs and cheese. Continue to cook about 3-4 minutes, until eggs are set and vegetables are warm. From the side having no veggies, use a spatula to roll omelet over the vegetables. Carefully slide omelet onto a platter. Cut in half before serving, sprinkle with remaining chopped herbs and cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Want to whip up another dish?
Send Our Lady your favorite recipe! Keep them easy, low-cal and FUN.

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Pious Project™ -Sacred Sunflower Storage Container - Now that Peter is on the bandwagon, he snacks on sunflower seeds nightly. And now that I know that they should be housed in the refrigerator, I made a special container for them. It was amusing to watch Peter search for the seeds. "Where are they?" "In the fridge," I replied. He couldn't figure it out, but once he did (or once I introduced him to their new container), we had a good laugh.

Supplies: One empty plastic container
White Acrylic Gesso
Crafters Glue
Yellow Acrylic Paint; Orange Acrylic Paint
Sponge Brush
Small Paint Brush for detail
One image of Our Lady of Sunflower Seeds or any image that you please that reflects the sunflower.

Instructions: Paint container with gesso using sponge brush (two coats). Gesso is a primer.
Paint container with yellow acrylic paint.
Cut out Our Lady of Sunflower Seeds image. Paste onto container using crafters glue using clean sponge brush.
Take small brush and add some small orange or hot pink paint around the sunflower pedals, which will make them pop away from the yellow background.

It's that simple. And when you open your fridge, you'll be sure to smile!