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Dear Customers,

We're all looking for ways to stay healthy and well during this crazy Covid holiday season.

So why not send your loved one a box of Susie's Smart Breakfast Cookies to help them through these unprecedented times.

Satisfying and delicious, Susie's Smart Breakfast Cookies are a great breakfast to go -- or to eat at home (where many of us are these days). Plus, they have the added benefit of boosting one's Omega-3s, essential fats that help every tissue in our bodies, but especially our brains, which are mostly fat, and need the Omega-3s to behave optimally.

Because we know how stressful this year has been, we're doubling our usual holiday discount and allowing customers to use the discount multiple times. Please use the Discount Code Holidays2020 to take 20% off all your orders. Our sale ends 12/31;  but order by December 16 to guarantee delivery before Christmas. Shipping, as always, is free. Happy Holidays to all of you from Susie's Smart Cookie; and please stay well and sane. 2021 is just around the corner.

Best,

Susie and Michele

Hello dear customers and friends,

My grandmother was a great cook and hostess so when I stumbled across this recipe of hers, I had to give it a try.  I usually sauté zucchini very quickly and serve it without any sauce, but I was intrigued by the addition of wine and walnuts. It turns out that this is a good way to make a substantial side out of zucchini that would pair well with any hearty chicken or meat dish. The canola oil and walnuts means that it has a healthy balance of Omega-3s and Omega-6s. Thank you Catty! Enjoy.

1 1/2 large zucchini or 4-5 small

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup scallions, sliced or a sliced shallot

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup dry red wine

2 Tsp lemon juice

Cut zucchini into 1/2 inch slices. Slice scallions or shallot. 

Slightly brown on both sides in the canola oil.

Add wine and lemon juice and 1/4 cup water. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add walnuts, season with salt, and serve.

Dear Friends and Family,

No matter how small (or large) your turkey is this Thanksgiving, don't forget that there are many ways of adding Omega-3s to it -- and the rest of your dinner.

Here are 5 suggestions that will make your Thanksgiving dinner is as healthy as it is delicious. 

1. Use canola oil to rub on your turkey (along with salt and pepper) before roasting.

2. Add flaxseed meal to your stuffing -- about 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal per cup of stuffing.

3. Use Omega-3 eggs to make your pies. Look for eggs that have 250mg of Omega-3s per egg -- or more.

4. Use grass-fed butter, such as Kerry or Anchor butter, in all of your dishes.

5. Add a small amount of flaxseed meal to your pie crusts by replacing 2 tablespoons of flour with flax.

No one will know that you have taken these small steps towards a healthier Thanksgiving but your cells and bodies will thank you!

And Thank you for being a Susie's Smart Cookie customer. 

To your health,

Susie and Michele

When this recipe for Carrot and Saffron risotto popped up on The New York Times Cooking App, I knew I had to try it. I wondered if my grandsons would find the saffron too strong -- or unfamiliar, but they loved it! Comfort food in a time of Covid. I use a pressure cooker to prepare risotto -- and highly recommend it, but you can prepare this dish in whatever way you make your risotto.

Ingredients:

1 small shallot minced

3 - 4 TBS canola oil

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 cups Arborio rice

4 cups chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, ground in a mortar and pestle

2 cups grated carrot

1/2 cup grated parmesan

2 TBS half and half

1 TBS butter

2 heaping TBS flaxseed meal (for their Omega-3s)

salt and pepper

Instructions

Add the pulverized saffron threads to the chicken broth and set aside.

Sauté the shallot in canola oil in the pot of the pressure cooker, then add the risotto, coating with oil and seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly, until it has cooked off.

Add the broth and carrots to the pot and stir to break up the risotto. Close the lid and bring to a boil. When the pot has reached pressure, turn down the heat and continue to cook for 7 minutes.  When the risotto is creamy and just cooked, add butter, cream, parmesan, flaxseed meal, and correct seasonings. Serve immediately with a salad. So simple; so good. Be well.

Hello Customers,

The editor of Woman's World contacted us to ask if any of our customers would be willing to share their weight-loss experience with their magazine.

I know it is a great deal to ask, but this publicity would be a huge help to our company -- AND it could be an opportunity to promote your favorite organization or charity.

Thanks for considering this request! Woman's World is looking for a woman in her fifties or sixties who has lost 40-50 pounds. 

Stay well and thanks again for giving this some thought.

Susie

Hello Dear Customers,

Every once in a while, culinary inspiration strikes home. I'm sure you know what I mean. Last night, it came in the form of a one-pot pasta -- with artichoke hearts and chopped mugwort leaves.

I had read about using mugwort in an artichoke gratin so I thought this might work. And it did. It was complex and sophisticated and something you could serve to guests (when we're able to have them!) -- or family. Even my four-year-old grandson loved it.

1 pound spaghetti

1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved

1 can (13 oz) artichoke hearts or bottoms in water, coarsely chopped

2 lemons zested

1/4 cup plus 3 TBS canola oil

2 Tsp kosher salt

3 heaping TBS chopped mugwort leaves (no stems)

1 bunch kale or spinach, leaves only washed and chopped

black pepper

Parmesan for serving

As always, I balanced the Omega-3s in this recipe by using canola instead of olive oil. By the way, mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) is still growing strong in my part of the world. Much of it has gone to seed, but because it spreads by rhizomes, fresh green leaves are usually readily available. 

Place spaghetti, tomatoes, artichokes, zest, and salt in a large dry shallow pan. I used a large cast-iron skillet and broke some of the pasta so it all lay flat in the pan.

Carefully pour 1 quart boiling water over the ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and simmer for about 6 minutes, using tongs or some other tool to move the pasta around so it doesn't stick. Add the kale or spinach and the chopped mugwort and cook until the remaining liquid has been reduced to a sauce and the pasta is cooked through. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with Parmesan.

Yum!

Dear Customers,

Friends and I have been keeping our heads above water -- i.e., staying sane -- by planning small, socially-distanced, outdoors and over-by-sunset dinners celebrating our local edibles and inspired by the publication of Forage, Harvest, Feast by Marie Viljoen. Our first "mugwort" dinner was a huge success with mugwort soup; stuffed pork loin with mugwort and garlic; mugwort cottage fries, and mugwort poached pears.

Mugwort is the very colorful and Dickensian name given to Artemisia vulgaris, a thuggish invasive in my neck of the woods. But who knew it was so delicious and marries so well with pork, potatoes, and eggs? This is less surprising, though, when you learn that it is a relative of that great culinary herb: tarragon or Artemisia dracunculus. The best way I can describe mugwort is that it's a cross between sage and rosemary though unlike sage, it stays bright green during cooking, and unlike rosemary, it is readily available most of the year. One of my favorite mugwort dishes, which I did not serve at the dinner, was a mugwort, corn, and potato crustless quiche. 

Mugwort is easy to identify -- look for the silvery underside of the leaves and the herbal scent -- and don't eat anything you're unsure of! And it has the added advantage (or disadvantage when it comes to eradicating this voracious invasive, which is native to Europe and Asia but has now made its home all along our roadways and in our fields) of having a very long growing season and of spreading by rhizomes as well as seeds. Which means that one can always find young, fresh leaves to cook with -- and can easily avoid old fibrous leaves and stems. As always, wash whatever wild plants you harvest and don't pick near roadways or anywhere plants might have been sprayed.

Mugwort, corn, and potato crustless quiche.

6 eggs (Omega-3 eggs of course!)

1 cup whole milk

1 cup grated cheese -- I used a compo of cheddar and parmesan

1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste

1 cup added ingredients, including 3 Tablespoons onion sautéed until soft in canola oil and 3 heaping Tablespoons chopped mugwort leaves (no stems) added to the onion at the end of the sautéing

For the rest of the cup of optional ingredients use:

yellow potatoes chopped into bite-size pieces and  boiled until cooked

corn or any other vegetable you have on hand and cut into small pieces

Whisk eggs and add milk, cheeses, salt and pepper. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and pour into a pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees until set. Remove from oven and wait ten minutes or so to serve. 

Hint: The first time I made this dish, all the mugwort floated to the top of the quiche. It tasted fantastic, but I would have preferred the mugwort to be distributed throughout. The next time I make this quiche, I'm going to roughly chop the cooked potatoes and sautéed mugwort and onions together and hope for a better -- greener -- distribution. 

BTW, mugwort -- like all green leaves -- has a good ratio of Omega-3 and Omega-6s. Be sure, though, to use Omega-3 eggs and canola oil to make this a dish as healthy as possible. I served it with a green salad and hot bread.  Enjoy.

Hello customers and friends of Susie's Smart Cookie,

I was fortunate to spend some time in Deer Isle, Maine this summer with my daughters and grandsons -- and one of the things that we cooked on that beautiful island was a hand-picked huckleberry and blueberry crisp. I have to share the recipe because it is so simple, and can be used with any fruit, and because I replaced some of the flour with flax meal and the crisp turned out even crispier and more delicious than one made with flour alone. 

1 1/2 quart of fruit (enough to fill a 8 by 11" dish)

1 cup loosely packed brown sugar

1 cup  minus 3 heaping tablespoons flour (approximately 3/4- 4/5 cup)

3 heaping tablespoons ground flax meal (I.e, replace 3 heaping tablespoons of the flour with flax seed meal)

1/2 cup cold butter (I think you could do a little less and it would be just as delicious)

Combine the flour, flax, and sugar in a bowl and cut in the cold butter until the mixture is crumbly. Use your hands or two knives. Sprinkle over the fruit and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until brown and crispy. Serve slightly warm with cream or a scoop of ice cream. Yum! I just made it again using peaches and blueberries and two abstemious friends and I finished the whole dish in one sitting. 

Hello Customers and Friends of Susie's Smart Cookie,

We just wanted to let you know that we updated our website today. It's just as easy

to use but has a different look and feel to it. If you have time, please let us know

what you think.

Be well. Stay healthy,

Susie and Michele

Hello Everyone,

I treated myself to a bottle of Walnut Oil during these crazy, shut-in times.

I guess I wanted to bring memories of summer salads in southern France alive.

What a mistake. I should have been suspicious since it was one of the only bottles of oils on the shelf. But I couldn't/didn't resist.

I opened it at home, anticipating a green salad with a  light, nutty dressing.

But my nose immediately told me that this expensive bottle of oil was off...rancid...not fit for consumption. Rancid oils contain free radicals that cause oxidative stress and induce damage at the cellular and molecular level, including damage to our DNA. Polyunsaturated oils (vegetable oils) are more prone to oxidation than saturated fats such as butter and lard. So be sure to keep your oils fresh by buying them in quantities small enough to use in a couple of months and keeping them away from direct heat and light.

Stay well and eat healthy,

Susie

Hello dear customers -- and I hope that you are all staying well,

As I read more and more papers on the importance of Omega-3s in mounting an effective and healthy immune response, I began to wonder if you were aware that the Breakfast Cookies are an effective way of boosting your Omega-3s. 

We always suspected this, but learned it as a fact when we ran the clinical trial on the Breakfast Cookie Diet in 2018. A number of the participants in this weight loss  trial volunteered to supply us with blood samples -- before and after consuming two Breakfast Cookies a day for 30 days (i.e., they were following the Susie's Smart Breakfast Cookie Diet that is on this site). 

The results were impressive. Some participants experienced a 43% increase in their total Omega-3s (from 3.92% to 5.62%). Long chain Omega-3s, EPA and DHA, increased as much as 56%, from 2.60% to 4.06%. These final levels are still low, as those of you who understand your Omega-3s will know (the optimal for Total Omega 3s is > 9% and the optimal for EPA and DHA is >8%), but they are going in the right direction! 

Those of you who know your Omega-3s will also understand the importance of the increase in EPA and DHA. The Breakfast Cookies do not contain ANY long-chain Omega-3s: no EPA nor DHA. But the participants were able to make those important fats out of the short-chain Omega-3s that the Breakfast Cookies do contain because of the healthy balance of Omega-3s and Omega-6s in our cookies.

 If you are interested in using the Breakfast Cookies to boost your Omega-3s (and/or lose weight), please use the Discount Code: boostyouromega3s for 20% off your entire order.

 If you would like to know where you stand in terms of your Omega-3s, please follow this link to order a finger prick blood test that you can do at home:

https://www.vitalchoice.com/product/the-vital-omega-3-6-hufa-test-trade

BTW, the company that processes these tests was founded by Doug Bibus, a student of the scientist -- Ralph Holman -- who named the Omega-3s.

Stay well; get healthy

Susie and Michele