Don't throw away those seeds!

An update about my life in Haiti is coming soon. Lots of exciting things happening and transpiring..

For now, let's just cut to the chase. Pumpkin/ Squash Seeds. Seriously, that's what this blog is about.

In my last blog, I told you how cool plants really are. If you didn't read it, check it out: Sustainable-Food. I specifically talked about that cute little squash and how it serves multiple purposes. Most people are familiar with squash (and if you aren't--start trying them ALL. My personal favorite is the butternut squash).  Enough about the squash..let's get to the seeds. Yes, the seeds.  They deserve to be eaten too. Don't throw them out! 

1/2 cup of seeds provides about:

Calories: 180 

Protein: 9.75 grams

Carbohydrates: 3.45 grams

Fiber: 1.94 grams

Fat: 15.82 grams (5.24 from monofats and 6.76 from polyfats) 

It also provides a good sources of: 

copper ( 14.84 mg, 21.5% of DV)

iron (2.84 mg, 15.87% of DV)

magnesium (190.92mg, 47.73% of DV)

manganese (1.87mg, 73.5% of DV)

phosphorus (3.97.64 mg, 39.76% of DV)

 zinc (2.54 mg, 16.8% of DV)

** Information given is from pumpkin seeds, however, the nutrient profiles are used interchangeably on a few resources I discovered.  This specific nutrition info was obtained from: whfoods.org 

So basically what I am trying to say is....

Eat your Squash and the SEEDS too!! 

There is a lot you can actually do with the seeds. Some people like to wash them and roast them in the oven with a pinch of olive oil and salt. You could toss them on a salad or eat them raw. 

I tested out a few new things tonight with my squash-seeds.. (in Haiti, mind you). 

For these squash-seed ideas you will need a blender. 

Ready to roll. 

Yup, just throw them in the blender. Stringy pieces and all. I added water to my mixture because the seeds weren't blending with just the pulp and the seeds. After things were mixing along,  I added some fresh ginger.....

Hello, creamy-ginger squash sauce! 

Did I say creamy? Yes-- it has a creamy texture. You can eat the mixture like a soup. Add less water to make it a thick dipping sauce for veggies or bread. Use it in replace of cheese or tomato sauce for noodles, quinoa, or tofu.  You don't have to add ginger to it. Maybe you like garlic, basil, cilantro, rosemary... or all of the above... mixed in your sauce! Go for it! Have fun, be creative. 

I even took my sauce a little further...

dah dah dahh.... 

I used the squash-seed sauce to make homemade vegan "pumpkin" ginger, chia-seed, bulgur bread! 

phew that was a mouth-full. 

Did I mention Bulgur? 

(We call it "ble" in Haiti. A great whole wheat-- rich in fiber, protein, and iron).

So this is what Happened. Friday, at the Market. 

MARKET.

THIS MAN....
 


GAVE ME FREE...

BULGUR. 

Our feeding center just had boughten a whole potato-sack full of bulgur from him this week. So he gave me a free little bag full. 

I wanted to buy my own personal supply so I could sample making whole-wheat bread. 

So here I am. 

Grinding up my bulgur and making bread. 

My hearty whole grain pumpkin, chia-seed bread. 

It is not sweet. I didn't add sugar. It could use a little more ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla. 

This was the test. Before Tuesday, I will prepare another loaf to bring to my new friend in the market. 

So besides using the squash-seeds as a sauce, as an ingredient in bread...

you can also add it to soup! 

Yes, Soup. 

This is my spinach, carrot, and squash-seed soup with a hint of fresh ginger. You could add a sweet potato, onion, green onion... a few fresh herbs and/or spices. Again, have fun, be creative. Eating plants is NOT boring. 

And to top it off-- I put a little extra squash-seed sauce on top for decoration. Food art. I dig it. 

So after my art was complete. I thought it would be fun to show the kids my dinner tonight. 

The little kids that saw the soup told me they wanted to try it. I told them they've tried it before and that they told me they didn't like it. So I just kept showing it off. Taking a bite and talking about how pretty it was. 

(Marketing folks. Marketing)

You just have to pretend you are Vanna White. 

...And they all wanted to try it. 

They kept begging me. 

I was being kid pressured. 

I wasn't going to share. 

But I gave in. 

I couldn't resist their eagerness to try my cute little heart-healthy soup. 

Their little hands reached out for my bowl.

blop, blop, blop. 

They liked their fingers. 

Hm. 

"Ou renmen?" 

"Wi" 

Okay. A job well done. 

I hope they say that next time we add it to the menu. :) 

So you see.. 

A few lessons to be learned from this blog. 

1. Save your squash seeds. Roast them, blend them. They are multi-purpose and nutritious.

2. Make friends that grow/ sell food. 

3. Learn to make tasty treats with whole-food ingredients. 

4. Don't be afraid to experiment with food. 

5. Marketing. Teaching kids good nutrition is part education and part marketing. 

6. If you are trying to get your kids to eat fruits and vegetables, you better be eating them yourself... and make them look like they are the best thing that has ever happened to you! Don't let them try them.... even if they give you that cute, puppy dog face and beg you. Okay...maybe then you can. :) 

So that's a wrap. Eat your seeds. 

Find a squash. 

And don't forget. 

FOOD IS YOUR DAILY MEDICINE. 

Love from Haiti, 

Kristina

"Bringing Seeds and Gardening Supplies"

Little 14 year old me, 

14 year old me.

Wow-- You had no idea about the world, no idea about third-world poverty, and absolutely no idea about the opportunities/ educational paths ahead of you. You really didn't plan on going to third world countries-- you wanted to be a famous figure skater, a dietitian, then a dietitian AND a clinical psychologist. You never really planned for all this... It was merely just a short-lived phase in your life. 

 I found this in your diary. I would like you to re-read this carefully...

 March 20, 2003
"What is coming to this world! Diary, I want to make a difference in this world! I want to be remembered like Gandhi, like Martin Luther King JR, like Rosa Parks, and all those people that make a difference. I want to be like Mother Teresa. I want to help the poor!..I am going to go to poor countries and I am going to bring them food, water, and clothes. I am going to bring seeds and gardening supplies and teach them to make their own food. It's kind of like what Jesus said to do-help them so that they can eventually help themselves."..... "I want to be a role model. I want to change peoples' lives! Also, I want to be a disciple of Jesus!"

Your vision is quiet a big task for a young girl to accomplish. You have some big shoes to follow... some fine paths that have been paved. You may not be remembered like the great historical figures.  Your thought process are intense. Infact, I am not exactly sure where you would come-up with such ideas-- like "I am going to bring seeds and gardening supplies and teach them to make their own food." You really have no idea... NO IDEA AT ALL about the problems in poor countries. You just know they need the basics for life; food, water, shelter, clothing, medical care, and education. You know nothing of the third-world problems and the histories of these countries. You know nothing of the people and their hardships. You just have a vision... a very intense vision. 

Little 14 year old me, I just want to tell you: that thought you had--- don't lose it. Hold on tight to it. That thought wasn't yours. This vision for your life wasn't yours. It is all apart of a greater plan. If you are wise, you will listen. You will listen very carefully to the silent opportunities and signs that appear throughout your life. Don't lose focus...stay awake.. or they will slip away. 

You will face many internal and external obstacles leading-up to these great duties. I am warning you that you will forget about this vision, and you will carry on with your life for 8 more years. You will want to give up on life. You will lose sight of the vision. You will face hardships and conflict. Consider them all a time for you to cultivate skills, to build confidence, and to prepare you for the great journey ahead. 

Again, don't cease the opportunities that fall into their places; listen to your heart and seek wisdom that has been instructed to you by the Owner of this vision. For one day, your vision, though not in it's entirety, will come true. 

Yours truly,

24 year old me

24 year old me-- a dietitian and nutrition advocate in Haiti

The kids at the orphanage I volunteer at in Haiti

Tree Farms in Haiti

Markets in Haiti

The markets are a place of community. A place where people not only come to sell their produce, but come to socialize and to connect. I love market days in our community... it's a chance for me to see the locals. 

Postlude: Today, a diary entry I wrote at age 14 came full-circle for me. As I sit here in Haiti uncovering all this information about the current Food Politics in the country, I find myself being astonished by this circle and the vision I had as a young-teen. At 14 years old, I had this "crazy" idea that has turned-out to be fairly accurate. It all comes back to the statement of bringing seeds and gardening supplies. I am learning that a lot of poverty, malnutrition, and health problems have stemmed from the lack of agricultural support. People have fled the country-side---giving up on their farming due to failed crops, intense labor, and poor income when they are able to produce adequate supply of produce/ grain crops for the markets. People have fled to the cities inorder to find job opportunities; many people selling imported foods (which are cheaper or perceived to be cheaper), trying to make business selling used clothing/electronics, or opening different shop services. However, the increased demand of people and jobs in small confide areas has further led to a multitude of problems: increased crime, an exponentially high unemployment rate (further exacerbating poverty/malnutrition/disease), and ease for disease/infection to transmit to the masses of people (further exacerbating poverty/malnutrition/disease). Ultimately, farmers become poorer because they have to compete with the imported goods, as well as the psychosocial patterns/ thought process associated with food and food behaviors. The solutions to the problem: education about the importance of a plant-based diet and create jobs in agriculture. Provide tools for successfully growing native foods, as well as foods that grow well with the soil and the climate in Haiti. Create a supply and demand for the plant-based foods, which would create less dependence on imported goods (which ultimately support the producers from the countries they have come from) and increase job opportunities/ reducing poverty. Not only would the agriculture create jobs  (farmers, sellers, and people who produce nutritious foods crops), but it would further reduce the rates of the systemic effects of poverty, transmitted diseases, and malnutrition. For more information about the current agricultural problems I am learning about in Haiti, see the links below. 

The 14 year old me had the answers--- give people the tools, help them to plant seeds/ grow gardens, and ultimately, help them to better help themselves. 

A few articles for reading: 

Key issues on Agriculture in Haiti- an introduction: http://www.haitisupportgroup.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=435%3Aagriculture-in-haiti-an-introduction&catid=101%3Aagriculture&Itemid=266
Haitian Farmers call on US to stop subsidizing its own (April 12, 2012):
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/haiti/120411/haitian-farmers-call-us-stop-subsidizing-its-own


With Cheap Food Imports, Haiti can't Feed Itself (March 20, 2010): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/20/with-cheap-food-imports-h_n_507228.html


Haiti (December 24, 2012): 
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/haiti/index.html