Cooking for Just One or Two?

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Are you cooking for just yourself? Or maybe yourself and one other person? If so, I am sure that you have dealt with the struggles of making the most out of your ingredients.  Just because you are cooking for less does not mean you have to eat out more! Here are a few tips to help make those ingredients stretch.

 

Grains:

  • Cook a batch of whole grains such as brown rice or barley and freeze in individual portions using a muffin pan. Once frozen, the discs can be stored in a zip-top bag.
  • Have a six-pack of whole-grain English muffins or a whole loaf of bread? Tuck those extras into the freezer for another day; wrap them tightly in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn.

 

Veggies and Fruits:

  • Embrace frozen produce. Just look for options without added sauces or sugar. Frozen fruits and veggies are great to add to smoothies, soups and stir-fries.
  • Bulk bags of fruits and veggies are only a better deal if you eat them before they spoil. Only buy what you can reasonably eat before the produce perishes.

 

Protein: Meat, Poultry, Eggs, Beans:

  • Eggs can make a meal happen in a flash, anytime! They are an excellent source of protein and contain a bounty of nutrients such as vitamin D. You can hard-boil a few on the weekend to have as an easy breakfast, snack or quick salad addition.
  • Buy a whole package of meat or poultry and wrap individual portions in freezer-safe paper; label each with the date and contents. sy

 

Reference: http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/planning-and-prep/cooking-tips-and-trends/cooking-tips-for-one

Simple Eating Tips For A Healthier Life

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We all know making healthy choices can be a hard at times. Here are a few tips that can help you make better choices when choosing either the healthy or unhealthy option.

  • Prepare more of your own meals. Cooking more meals at home can help you take charge of what you’re eating and better monitor exactly what goes into your food.
  • Make the right changes. When cutting back on unhealthy foods in your diet, it’s important to replace them with healthy alternatives. Replacing animal fats with vegetables fats (such as switching butter for olive oil) will make a positive difference to your health. Switching animal fats for refined carbohydrates, though (such as switching your breakfast bacon for a donut), won’t lower your risk for heart disease or improve your mood.
  • Simplify. Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories, think of your diet in terms of color, variety, and freshness. Focus on avoiding packaged and processed foods and opting for more fresh ingredients.
  • Read the labels. It’s important to be aware of what’s in your food as manufacturers often hide large amounts of sugar and salt in packaged food, even food claiming to be healthy.
  • Focus on how you feel after eating. This will help foster healthy new habits and tastes. The more healthy food you eat, the better you’ll feel after a meal. The more junk food you eat, the more likely you are to feel uncomfortable, nauseous, or drained of energy.
  • Drink plenty of water. Water helps flush our systems of waste products and toxins, yet many people go through life dehydrated—causing tiredness, low energy, and headaches. It’s common to mistake thirst for hunger, so staying well hydrated will also help you make healthier food choices. sg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/healthy-eating.htm

Tips To Cut Your Calories

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When it comes to healthy weight management, small steps add up. In fact, little changes in eating have better positive impact on health than drastic ones. This is because you are more likely to stick with smaller changes over time than drastic ones. Here are a few small changes that will decrease your calorie consumption.

  • Savor Your Meals. Eating slowly helps you consume only what your body needs to feel satisfied. Eating too quickly, in less than 20 to 30 minutes, leads to overeating and feeling uncomfortably full afterwards.
  • Leave Some Food on Your Plate. This is especially important if you grew up in the “clean plate club.” By leaving even a few bites, you can focus more on your internal signals of satisfaction and less on eating food just because it is there.
  • Don’t Eat Out of a Bag or Box. When you eat out of a package, you are likely to keep eating until it’s all gone – no matter how many servings the package actually contains. Pour one serving into a small bowl.
  • Rethink Your Drinks. High-calorie beverages like soft drinks, juice drinks, energy drinks, specialty coffees and alcohol add calories just like solid foods. Whenever possible, replace these drinks with plenty of water.

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Reference: http://www.eatright.org/resource/health/weight-loss/tips-for-weight-loss/ways-to-shave-calories

Say Goodbye to Cravings and Eat Right!

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Do you ever have cravings that are so hard to resist? When your mind keeps yelling, eat me! eat me! eat me! Some dieters may believe a craving is an intense desire for a certain food, but it is actually a signal for their bodies needing the nutrients that food provides. Overindulging on cravings can quickly add up your calories for the day. Eating your cravings in moderation is the key, but sometimes it’s hard. Here are a few extra tips to beat your cravings!

  • Put your craving off. Tell yourself you’ll deal with the craving in 20 minutes. Food cravings are typically short-lived, and while the desire for chips, chocolate or cake feels overwhelming now, it will wane, especially if you can find a healthier food substitute or distract yourself.
  • Choose alternatives for your cravings. Yearn for potato chips? Buy a brand that
    ‘s low-fat or fat-free. Desire something crunchy? Skip the chips: try fruit or a salad packed with crisp greens and veggies. Want something sweet? How about baking an apple or even roasting some veggies? Roasting brings out the sweetness in many foods.
  •  Buy single servings of foods you crave. Instead of buying a whole box of cookies, buy just one cookie from a specialty bakeshop.
  •  Schedule your snacks. Plan for nutritious snacks to prevent between-meal hunger. Keep portable, healthy snacks in your desk, backpack or car.
  • Take a walk, work on a hobby or call a friend. A brisk walk outside or at work can get your mind off the craving. A chat with a sympathetic friend that will help you talk through your craving may also help.

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Reference:http://www.eatright.org/resource/health/weight-loss/tips-for-weight-loss/stop-the-cravings-eat-right

Taste of India

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While traveling in India for two and a half weeks I ate foods that were different from American delicacies, and found neat things that would be beneficial for me to use back in America.

Tiffin

 

 

 

Tiffin Jar: the Indian lunchbox. This container will keep items hot up 3 to 4 hours. I love taking this to work and school because its easily portable.

 

 

 

 

 

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Besan Laddu: a popular Indian sweet dish made of Besan (chickpea flour or gram flour), sugar and ghee.

 

 

 

 

plaitains masala chai

 

 

Fried Plantains & Masala chai: in India these are either served to house guest or served after a meal for dessert. Plantains are a member of the banana family. They are a starchy, low in sugar variety that is cooked before serving as it is unsuitable raw. Masala chai is a flavored tea beverage made by brewing black tea with a mixture of aromatic Indian spices and herbs.

 

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To Juice or Not to Juice?

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This is a question we hear often. Juicing is the process of extracting juice from plants, such as fruits and vegetables. Juicing is different than blending and smoothies.

You may consider juicing if identify with one of these categories:

  1. Picky eaters: If you are not a fan of fruits and vegetables this is good way to get the 5 cups of fruits and vegetables needed in the daily diet. It takes 8-10 exposures to a food before a picky eater can accept it into their diet. Therefore, ingesting produce in a juice may lead to more on their plate!
  2. Too Busy to Stop: Some people are too busy to stop for breakfast or lunch, which can lead to cravings or a large meal in the evening. Juicing would provide you with nutrients, calories, and carbohydrates needed to satisfy some nutritional needs. There is little to no protein in juices so it still does not replace a meal. Consider having 10-15 almonds, yogurt, adding a scoop of protein powder, or small piece of fish with your juice.
  3. Low fiber diet: Most people need to increase daily intake of fiber, but medically a low fiber diet is needed in some cases. Most juicing machines leave the pulp(fiber) behind to be discarded. If you are not on a low fiber diet use the pulp in other recipes such as, soups, spaghetti sauce, granola bars, or smoothies. mv

Health Benefits of Coconut Water

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While traveling in India the one thing I saw the most on roadside markets was people selling coconut water. Coconut water has many health benefits. Many studies have shown that the antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of coconut water may help with a number of minor to severe health conditions. This nutrient rich driCWnk has been used to regulate blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels, and it has been found to boost energy levels and increase metabolism in the human body. It has been found to be effective at treating stomach flu, dysentery, indigestion, constipation, intestinal worms, cholera, urinary abnormalities, urethral stone, malfunctioning kidneys, dry and itchy skin, age spots, and wrinkles.

Coconut Water is available in cans or bottles from many grocery stores, Indian markets or online retailers. Fresh plastic wrapped coconuts can also be purchased at many Indian and Asian grocery stores during the summer. When buying fresh coconuts with green husks, look for those with some light brown spots as well since these are considered to have the greatest water content. Generally, the water from Indian and Bangladeshi coconuts tends to be sweeter than Thai and Brazilian coconuts. When using fresh coconuts, try to drink the water as soon as possible since the nutrients can begin to dissipate after being exposed to air. However, the water can also be refrigerated for 10 to 12 hours if it is sealed in a tight container.

 

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Dark Chocolate Almond Oatmeal Cookies with Sea Salt

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Ingredients
⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
¾ cup maple syrup

2 eggs
1 cup almond butter, unsalted, creamy
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups rolled oats (gluten-free)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped dark chocolate (dairy-free)
Maldon sea salt (or any course sea salt)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs, almond butter and vanilla. In a separate large bowl, mix together the rolled oats, cinnamon, baking soda and dark chocolate. Combine wet ingredients with dry in the large bowl and stir to combine.
  3. Drop 1/4 cup of dough onto the sheet and sprinkle with a few sea salt flakes. Repeat with remaining dough, separating by at least a couple inches on the sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

From a Dietitian’s kitchen: Fish

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The American Heart Association recommends we increase our consumption of fish to twice a week. Many fish are good sources of Omega 3 fatty acids. I recommend line-caught varieties (this will be stated on the packaging) because wild fish eat a healthier diet and are better for the environment than farmed fish. Fish can be defrosted very quickly in the refrigerator or cooked from frozen. One of baked fishmy family’s favorite ways to bake fish is covering each filet in a little bit of high quality mayonnaise and then topped with parmesan cheese. The topping helps the fish to not dry out and the cheese browns well. Most fish will be cooked through in 15-25 min at 350 degrees. Fish should easily flake when it is done. Enjoy! mk

Healthy Substitutions for Delicious Pillsbury Pumpkin Quick Bread Muffins

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Looking for a delicious and healthy dessert for Thanksgiving? Try this easy and amazing Pillsbury Pumpkin Quick Bread Muffins recipe!Pillsbury Muffins

Ingredients:

1 box Pillsbury Pumpkin Quick Bread

Then follow the instructions but use these substitutions..

Replace fat-free milk for the whole milk

Use the individual serving size of natural unsweetened applesauce for the oil in the recipe

Add 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin

Sprinkle a little flax seed and cinnamon into dry mixture

Add some craisins (optional)

 

Use the directions on the back of box for muffins.

 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

 

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