pecans for cholesterol lowering
and overall health

The pecans are falling

My brother-in-law lives close to us and has a yard full of pecan trees.  Pecans are falling everywhere.  We are able to pick up pecans if we give him half of what we pick up.  This is a great deal for us.  You can also pick up pecans from the ground at the local park in Springtown.

Have you seen the price of nuts at the store lately?   It is scary. Look for someone close to you with nut trees and see if you can get some.  You can always make them a cake.

Pecans can be part of your cholesterol lowering diet. It is not too much work to crack them. They are so tasty and since my husband is the official nut cracker, fairly easy for me.  He cracks then and my grandsons remove the shells.  One of them asked why grandma wasn't helping.  I was cleaning the kitchen, for goodness sake.  He told them that he cracked them, they removed the shells, and grandma does the cooking.  I am a lucky girl.

nutrients in pecans

I am happy to report that pecans are loaded with nutrients.

There is:

• vitamin A
• vitamin C
• vitamin K
• folate
• choline
• calcium
• iron
• magnesium
• calcium
• zinc
• B vitamins
• and no cholesterol at all

for a good in-depth analysis you can see nutrition facts for pecans.

This morning I made my first pecan smoothie of the season.  It was tasty. 

Cherry pecan smoothie

Ingredients:
           1     small banana
        1/2     orange
        1/4     cup frozen strawberries
        1/2     cup frozen cherries
1/4 - 1/2    cup pecans (more or less as you desire)
           1    T chia seeds
     1 1/2    t flax seeds
Put all in a blender and whirr until smooth.  Very nice. Tastes great with almonds also. Garnish with a few nuts and a cherry or drink in your favorite to go cup.

pecan tossed salad

This is an easy salad to make.

     Put as much lettuce (any variety) as desired in a serving bowl. 
Add:          cherry tomatoes cut in half  
            1   leaf kale, torn into bite size bits
         1/4   cup of chopped onions
         1/8   cup slivered almonds
            1   large avocado, chopped
         1/4   c bell peppers, chopped
Toss well
Garnish with a handful of pecans
Serve with your favorite dressing.  I used Bragg vinaigrette.   

This is full of antioxidants--so good for you

.
More information on nuts