Building a Healthy Self With Prunes From Your Shelf
Building a healthy self is simple with prunes on your shelf! Leslie Bonci, MS, RD, CSSD and Sports Dietitian for Super Bowl Champions the Kansas City Chiefs, shares how.
When you’re ready to get cooking, check out our recipes!
By Leslie Bonci, MS, RD, CSSD
If food doesn’t taste good, chances are that people won’t eat it or enjoy it. In addition to nutrition, California Prunes bring sweetness, chewiness and moisture to all kinds of recipes.
How this RD chooses foods for a healthy self:
As a Registered Dietitian, I am all about self-preservation and health conservation with the foods I choose to include in my daily eating plan. I am a big fan of foods that deliver on:
- Nutritional benefits
- Taste
- Haste
- Convenience
- Availability
- No waste
- Affordability
- Versatility
Plus, prunes pair with just about everything, including all the goodies on this cheese board!
California Prunes check all the boxes.
Let’s start with the nutritional benefits:
- Polyphenols (chlorogenic acid) for gut health and combatting inflammation
- Fiber for gut health, lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol, stabilizing blood glucose and improving satiety
- Vitamin K, Potassium, Boron, Copper, Manganese to support bone health and to manage blood pressure
- Sorbitol to improve bowel transit time
Prunes are a great way to add a twist.
If food doesn’t taste good, chances are that our clients won’t eat it or enjoy it. In addition to nutrition, California Prunes bring sweetness, chewiness and moisture to all kinds of recipes. Pairing prunes with bitter veggies such as cauliflower or brussels sprouts improves palatability. Prune puree in a baked goods recipe can help reduce or replace some of the sugar and fat, while also providing those nutritional benefits mentioned above. Prunes are a great way to add a sweet twist to a healthy stew, bisque, chili, hummus or even pasta sauce.
Our clients live busy lives and are always looking for foods that are convenient, shelf-stable, and require little to no preparation. California Prunes are widely available and can be used in many forms: whole, chopped, diced, or pureed. They’re not only packed with important nutrients, but they are versatile and delicious–that can be used every day in so many ways.
Here are some recipes to help build a healthy self:
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Kate from Hola Jalapeno shares an ingenious hack – toasting your oatmeal! This simple step adds loads of nutty flavor to this Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal recipe.
Beef Stew with Red Wine
This cozy Beef Stew with Red Wine from Top Chef Stephanie Cmar is incredibly rich and flavorful. Red wine, California Prunes, smoky paprika and cinnamon make this the kind of rib-sticking winter meal that warms you from the inside out.
Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies
Our Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies are inspired by one of our growers, Matt Bozzo. Matt’s recipe swaps the prune puree for chopped prunes, and opts for dark honey to impart an even richer flavor to these craveworthy cookies.
Mariani Family’s Spaghetti Sauce
This heritage recipe from the Mariani family is rich, meaty perfection. California prunes add the perfect amount of natural sweetness to this scrumptuous spaghetti sauce.
Sheet Pan Chicken Marbella
All the flavors of the classic Chicken Marbella recipe in a fraction of the time. We’re absolutely obsessed with this recipe from our friend Meg at This Mess is Ours.