Sweet Potato Cupcakes for National Grouch Day

Today is National Grouch Day! While you vent your frustrations and furrow your brow, we figured you might want to munch on a Moveable Feast favorite - Sweet Potato Cupcakes. 

Our most recent group of culinary students knocked our socks off on their graduation day with this recipe. As per Moveable Feast tradition, the outgoing class is asked to prepare the brunch or lunch for all who attend, and the sweet potato cupcakes were a favorite. 

So we thought we'd share the recipe (a number of the staff are biting at the chomp to get this). 

Photo from From Scratch, recipe from Better Home & Gardens

Sweet Potato Cupcakes
yield: 24 cupcakes
prep: 45 minutes
bake: 350F for 20 minutes

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 17.2 ounce can of vacuum-packed sweet potatoes (unsweetened), mashed
1/2 tsp vanilla
Cream cheese frosting (recipe below)
Finely shredded orange peel 

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line twenty-four 2 1/2 inch muffin cups with paper bake cups; set cups aside.
2. In medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; set aside. 
3. In large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition until combined. Add sweet potatoes and vanilla, beating until combined. Add flour mixture; beat until combined (batter will be thick).
4. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake about 20 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pan on wire rack for 1 minute. Remove from pan and cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting
yield: 4 1/3 cups

Ingredients
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup butter, softened
2 tbs bourbon or milk
8 cups powdered sugar

Directions
1. In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add bourbon or milk and beat until combined. Beat in powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, until smooth. 
2. Place frosting in a large resealable plastic bag. Cut a 1/4 inch opening in one corner of bag. Pipe frosting on top of cupcakes. Sprinkle with orange peel.

Enjoy!

Moveable Feast Honored with Henrietta Lacks Memorial Award

On Saturday, October 6, Moveable Feast stood before a packed auditorium to receive the 2nd annual Henrietta Lacks Memorial Award. This award, presented by the Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute, recognized our valuable work with Johns Hopkins (through Ride for the Feast team Fierce Chicks Rock) to deliver healthy meals to severely ill patients after they leave the hospital doors. 

The award comes with a $15,000 grant that we will use to strengthen our collaboration with the Oncology Center at Johns Hopkins and to deliver more life-saving meals to men and women with cancer.

Thank you for making all this work possible. Take a look at the great video they showed at the award ceremony.

Moveable Feast gets UNCORKED!

Moveable Feast is proud and honored to announce a new partnership with the Baltimore Chapter of NACE – The National Association for Catering and Events.  

For the next three years, we will work together to present UNCORKED!, NACE’s annual fundraising event. The main mission of UNCORKED! is to provide great wine education, extraordinary food pairings and gorgeous designs in an exciting and enticing program that attracts both NACE and non-NACE members alike. Plus, Moveable Feast will receive a portion of the proceeds to help put food on the table for our neighbors in need.

UNCORKED! 2013 will be held on Monday, March 18 at the Baltimore Country Club in Roland Park.  So mark your calendars now!

Photo by Anne Sachs

The Baltimore Chapter of NACE kicked off this exciting partnership with Moveable Feast by supporting Dining Out for Life at Gertrude’s last Friday.  There, they had a chance to meet many of the Moveable Feast staff for the first time and learn even more about the work that we do.  We can't wait to work with NACE over the next several years to grow this event and bring more attention to the work of both organizations.  

Photo by Anne Sachs

 For more information, take a look at their website at http://www.baltimorenace.net/

 

Clients Hit Hard by BED BUGS!

Several clients in this past month of home visits have bed bug infestations in their homes.  Unfortunately, according the Maryland laws, unless bed bugs have spread into multiple units, the renter is responsible for extermination costs.  Not only must our clients pay for extermination costs of around $250, but they must also throw out their mattresses, linens, couches, and sometimes all their clothing and shoes and then figure out replacements.   

This week, our dietitian Jinee, visited William who has had bed bugs for the past two weeks.  His landlord has agreed to set up the bed bug treatment on Monday, but William has no idea how he is going to throw out his couch and bed let alone get new ones.  William is 5’9” 110lbs.  He has struggled for several months to build his weight and his strength.  Right now, with the bed bug problem, he sleeps on his old leather office chair to stay away from the bed bugs, keeping him up all night, and adding one more barrier to his ability to achieve a healthier self.   

Can you help William and other clients in similar predicaments?

Photo credit: Mattress Warehouse

Ways to Help!

·         Donate your time

o   Do you have availability and the ability to help move and throw out bed ridden furniture?  Or to deliver new furniture?

·         Donate furniture

o   Couch, loveseat, mattress, mattress box

·         Donate linens & clothing

o   If you have new or gently used clean clothing or new shoes to donate, please email Jinee to check on sizes needed.

o   If you would like to donate new bedding, most of our clients need full or queen sized fitted sheets, flat sheets, blankets, comforters, pillows, and pillow cases.

·         Donate bed bug covers

o   These would be a good thing to give to any of our clients! Here are a few links:

•  http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=115661&RN=0
•  http://www.amazon.com/Ideaworks-Blockade-Mattress-Cover-Queen/dp/B004P9JDNW
• http://www.amazon.com/Bed-Mattress-Cover-Twin-Size/dp/B0043QQT16

Contact Dietitian Jinee Burdg at jburdg@mfeast.org for more information!

Thanks for all you do to improve quality of life for our clients. 

How to Prolong Life after Cancer

Based on new recommendations from the American Cancer Society, by living a healthy lifestyle, individuals who have overcome cancer can extend their lives—especially those with breast, colorectal or prostate cancer. Colleen Doyle, the Cancer Society’s director of nutrition and physical activity, provides the keys to prolonging life after cancer:

1.     Eat right

a.       Lots of fruits

b.      Lots of vegetables

c.       Mainly whole grains

d.      Lean protein

2.     Exercise

a.       Walking or other aerobic activity most days of the week

3.     Maintain normal weight

a.       Within normal range



Photo Credit: Art Fitness Training

Cancer Survivors might face other conditions

Individuals with cancer have a greater chance of developing other cancers, and could possibly be more likely to develop chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis, said Nagi Kumar, Director of Cancer Chemoprevention at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla.

“Many survivors are not going to die of cancer anymore,” Kumar said. “They are going to have problems with obesity, metabolic syndrome and other diseases that are very common in the U.S. anyway, and this is a little bit more vulnerable group.”

“It’s really important to be obsessive about what they do for themselves,” Nagi said. “Give it your all: do yoga, get more flexible, eat right. Become very obsessive about what you’re putting in your body.”

Be sure to check out our blog on Wednesdays to get new ideas for how to eat right and stay healthy. This week's Health Tip was on the benefits of black beans and included a recipe for a spicy black bean burrito. To read it, click here.  

Resources

Go to Health Day: For more information about this article by Jenifer Goodwin

The U.S. National Cancer Institute: For more ways to live a healthy lifestyle that can help prevent cancer

Benefits of Black Beans + Spicy Black Bean Burrito Recipe

Recent News about Black Beans

Black beans, also known as turtle beans, are legumes that are not only rich in flavor, but also in protein and fiber. Health benefits according the World’s Healthiest Food website include: 

Photo Credit: Weelicious

•  Digestive track support
• Blood sugar regulation benefits
•  Heart health promotion
• Better regulation of blood sugar
• Antioxidant protection
• Anti-inflammatory benefits 

Research shows a correlation between bean consumption and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, various cardiovascular diseases, and some types of cancer.

Recommendation

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend eating 3 cups of legumes per week or ½ cup serving six days per week.

Want to get your first serving today? Try this recipe:

Spicy Black Bean Burrito

Photo Credit: The World's Healthiest Foods

You don’t have to go to Chipotle to enjoy a delicious burrito. You can easily make one at home following this 15 minute, extremely delicious recipe (below)!

Ingredients:

            1/2 red onion, diced

            2 cloves garlic, chopped

            1 red bell pepper, diced

            2 cups or 1 15 oz can (BPA-free) black beans

            2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

            2 tsp chili powder

            1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

            salt and pepper to taste

            2 whole wheat tortillas

            2 oz low-fat cheese

            1 cup prepared salsa

            goat cheese (optional)

Directions:

• Dice onions and chop garlic and let sit for at least 5 minutes to bring out their hidden health benefits
• Dice bell peppers
• Healthy Sauté onions and bell peppers for 5 minutes
• Add garlic, black beans, olive oil, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste
• Wrap 1/2 of mixture and 1 oz of low-fat cheese into each of the two tortillas
• Top with salsa, and goat cheese (if desired).

ENJOY!

Resources:

The World’s Healthiest Foods website has more info about the nutritional profile of black beans, healthy recipes and the latest news about black beans.