Get Healthier in 2014 with “Iowa Girl Eats”

Eat healthier. Get in shape. Spend more time with the family.

It comes as no surprise that these three are among the top resolutions made in 2014 by Americans.  Newly released results from a study conducted by the Iowa Food & Family Project confirms that interest in food among Iowans continues to spike, mirroring national trends.

Americans today have more food choices than ever, from locally grown to organic.  U.S. supermarkets are stocked with thousands of easy-to-fix meals, yet two-thirds of our population is obese.  Contrast today’s stats with the 1950s when food production and meal production were more labor intensive, yet only 9.7 Americans were obese.

As fewer people are directly involved in the business of growing food, there is a growing need to create understanding between producers and consumers.  That’s why last spring the Iowa Food and Families Project launched the “Join My Journey” campaign featuring Iowa Girl Eats blogger Kristin Porter.  Kristin describes herself by saying, “I eat as well as my sweet tooth allows, run as often as possible despite the crazy Iowa weather, and am usually dreaming about the next place I want to travel to!”

Her travels in 2013 took her to several Iowa farms and points of interest where she milked a cow, saw first-hand how pigs, cattle, turkeys and poultry are raised and how farmers grow corn and soybeans.  A native Iowan who wasn’t reared on a farm, Kristin took the wheel of a tractor during the 2013 planting season and drove a combine during #harvest13.  She met several farm families, who raise and care for livestock and crops.  Rather than google for answers, she had the opportunity to ask Iowa farmers the questions that she and other consumers had about modern production practices.

Now you can embark on a journey of your own!  To help you take a step toward eating healthier and spending more time with your family, today we’re sharing two Iowa Girl Eats’ recipes that will put a new twist on fruits and vegetables.  This recipe for Pineapple Mango & Orange Smoothie looks simple enough for my sixth grade Girl Scouts to make, plus I’m hoping this tropical concoction will help warm up our January troop meeting.  (Doesn’t a trip to Maui sound fabulous now? Since I’m not headed there, I’ll enjoy a taste of it from the comforts of Iowa.)

The second recipe of Kristin’s that we’re featuring is for Thai Peanut Chicken Quinoa Bowls.  Quite frankly, I’m intrigued with this one because it makes use edamame (a soyfood) but it’s unlike anything I’ve ever tried making at home.  Guess it’s time I step outside my own comfort zone and try something new!

What new foods do you plan to try in 2014?