Trader Joe’s Low Sodium Garden Patch !

by Christy Posted on March 8, 2013

Many of you know I’ve been slow cooking a lot lately, using V8 Low Sodium Vegetable Juice in lieu of broth. Last night I made the happy discovery that Trader Joe’s sells its own brand of low sodium vegetable juice, Garden Patch!

Not only is Garden Patch comparable to V8, it actually contains 5 mg LESS sodium per cup (135 mg vs. 140 mg).

A quick online search yielded the following consumer review pitting the two against each other:

V8 Low Sodium Vegetable Juice VS. Trader Joe’s Low Sodium Garden Patch

AND THE WINNER IS…..

In taste, the reviewer preferred the fresh lemon kick of Trader Joe’s Low-Sodium Garden Patch.

In terms of nutrition, V8 contains higher levels of Vitamins A, C, and iron than Garden Patch, but V8 also has more sugar and 300 mg more potassium.

Bottom line: Depending upon your needs, you may need to choose one over the other. Flavor? Nutrition? Hmmmmm…..

As for me, I already love the tomato-y richness of V8. But being a super fan of lemon, I must say I’m STOKED to try out the new guy. TJ’s Garden Patch! BRING IT ON!

Now.. I’m off to slow cook something. HAPPY WEEKEND, EVERYONE!

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Smoky Slow-Cooker Lentil-Vegetable Soup

by Christy Posted on March 7, 2013

Forgive the major delay in posting. As much as I’d like to blame the 4 feet of snow we received last month, my kids’ school vacation week, the laundry, the dog, or the constant fire-tending, I’m just going to (wo)man up and accept responsibility. Instead of typing, I was watching season 2 of Game of Thrones. Instead of photographing elaborate dinners, I was drinking wine. And when I could have been chained to the oven, I was out roller skating. I cannot say it won’t happen again (I’m just being honest) but I will at least pretend to be sorry for keeping you waiting so long. Hopefully when you taste this soup, all the bad feelings you’ve been harboring will wash away magically like the dirt on my car when it rains.

SO. Are you READY FOR SOME FLAVOR???????

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Dreena Burton’s Cocoa Cookie Dough Balls

by Christy Posted on February 13, 2013

Tomorrow is VALENTINE’S DAY!!! Time to say I LOVE YOU with a SUPER healthy low-sodium treat!

Naturally sweetened with dried fruit, rich with chocolate and almonds, SO EASY AND SOOO GOOD. These cookie dough balls are the bomb! All you need are the ingredients, a food processor, and the will to keep yourself from EATING THE ENTIRE BATCH. But even then, go ahead, indulge!

Now, I’m not going to go into how these 100% healthy treats taste decadent yet are nature’s candy. No one wants to hear that on the day before Valentine’s, let alone on the big day itself. What you want is PROOF. And the proof here is in the candy. Good thing these only take ten minutes to make. INSTANT GRATIFICATION = GOOD.

So don’t wait to be treated. Don’t wait to indulge. Make someone’s day today – or tomorrow – with these soft, sweet, chocolately globes of love that beg to be popped into mouths worldwide. It’s guilt-free indulgence for today! Tomorrow! And beyond!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, EVERYONE!

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Posted in Candy, Valentine's Day, Vegan or Vegan Adaptable | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Low Sodium, Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies that taste like the REAL THING!

by Christy Posted on January 31, 2013

Chocolate Chip Cookie Lovers of the World!! UNITE!

Nine years ago, when I went low-sodium, I thought.. well, there go the cookies. Nine months ago, when I went vegan, I thought.. well, that’s truly it for me. But you know what? I was wrong. You do not need butter, eggs, milk, or salt to bake the very best chocolate chip cookies of your life. What you do need? THE RIGHT RECIPE!

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Slow Cooker Cilantro Potato and Pea Curry

by Christy Posted on January 23, 2013

This morning the thermometer read -0 degrees. I’ve seen -3 before, even -15, but -0? I was tempted to see if the thermometer was broken, but by the time I went to check again it had moved to the single digits, and stayed put. Days like this are divided into necessary chores. Hauling wood, stacking wood, tending fires, and (squeezed into the itty bitty moments between) cooking. For those of you unfamiliar with my family’s third child (aka, Home Sweet Home) we live in a very old house. Our 250-year-old colonial is heated solely by wood. For 6 months of the year I am LUMBER DISHY! Tender of Fires, Hauler of Wood, and Central Heater. Daily I haul wheelbarrows of wood into the house and do everything necessary to keep our all-important fires stoked. PROS: I don’t need a gym membership. We save a boatload of $$$. CONS: Challenging MENIERE’S DISEASE! (always fun) and less time and energy to devote to cuisine. But fear not, friends! Days like this are made for slow cooking.

Oooh slow cooker, how I love thee! Your slow and steady heating. Your wafting aromas. The way you make each day worry-free, happy in the knowledge that DINNER WILL BE READY, even when I’m not! Friends, regardless of your own weather, the cold or lack thereof, it’s time to show your own slow cooker some low-sodium love. In the form of tender potatoes and peas simmered in a coconut-scented tomato-y broth, flecked with onion, garlic, and (my favorite) cilantro. Heaped over a mound of steaming brown rice it’s a bellyful of warmth and a bowlful of unforgettable goodness, especially on a day spent wearing leather gloves with your head in a wood stove. AHHHHHHHHH.

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Posted in Main Dishes, Slow Cooker | Tagged | 7 Comments

New Year, New YOU, Cookbook Giveaway!

by Christy Posted on January 16, 2013

Happy New Year and Happy New YOU, too!

To start 2013 off right, Low Sodium Blog is offering a FREE! autographed copy of my new cookbook!

The Everything DASH Diet Cookbook contains over 300 absolutely delicious, quick-fix recipes, table-ready in 30 minutes or less. It offers complete nutritional information for each recipe, a boatload of helpful hints, cooking tips, product information, and more. Whether just starting your low-sodium journey or looking for something new to keep you satisfied on the salt-free straight and narrow, this book will be something you can turn to, again and again.

For your chance to win a FREE! autographed copy, simply CLICK HERE AND ENTER TO WIN.

Best of luck, everyone!

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Slow Cooker Sweet Potato-Black Bean Chili

by Christy Posted on January 15, 2013

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Forgive me for missing yesterday’s “Meatless Monday,” but now that every day is meatless round these parts, it can be hard to remember. Besides, yesterday I was up to my eyeballs in boxer shorts. That’s right, boxer shorts! After 9 months of veganism, my husband has lost a whopping 15 pounds! He happily eats like a horse, but the pounds – as Paul Simon says, slip-sliding away! So this weekend, my husband culled his wardrobe. Call it the vegan equivalent of hunting, his castoff clothing filled 6 trash bags. If I hadn’t schlepped it all to Goodwill yesterday, even our dog would be wearing boxers, and she’s a Rottie, for pete’s sake!

Anyway, onto the recipe! And what a recipe.. Ooooh, if you like chili, you are going to LOVE THIS. Hot, filling, supremely satisfying, not to mention absolutely delicious, unbelievably flavorful, almost work-free (thank you, slow cooker), fat-free, cholesterol-free, low-sodium, AND vegan too! Subtly sweet, spicy – yet not overpoweringly hot, it truly is the best of all chili worlds.

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Posted in Main Dishes, Slow Cooker | Tagged | 6 Comments