Romaine salad with rotisserie chicken, bleu cheese, walnuts, and tomatoes

I just wanted to share a wonderful salad that I had this evening (Kirk and Nathan had leftover enchiladas, beans, and rice). It started with romaine lettuce (iceberg lettuce has the least nutritional value of all the greens); rotisserie chicken; bleu cheese crumbles; chopped tomatoes; walnuts; light raspberry and walnut vinaigrette (and some salad seasoning from The Melting Pot Restaurant). Served it with Baked Pita chips. I will have to admit that I probably enjoyed that more than I would have the enchiladas.

Choosing Healthy(ier) When Eating Out. (It's hard)

I don't cook every night. Sometimes, my husband, son, and I enjoy a nice evening out. It is very tricky ordering out when you are trying to make healthy eating choices. I was really hungry for a tenderloin. It's been a very long time since I've had one. I'd heard that 54th Street Food and Drink had a good one. That's where we ate this evening. Did you know they have two kinds of tenderloins? The regular and the "Tenderloin on Steroids". I'm not joking. The tenderloin on steroids has ham, bacon, and cheese on top of the tenderloin. Wow. I did not order this one. I ordered the plain tenderloin with no cheese. It was beautiful. I tossed the bun (it looked so nicely buttered, browned, and crispy). I ate half the tenderloin. I remember thinking that this tenderloin is a LOT bigger than a deck of cards (recommended serving size for meat). I made sure that I ate the vegetable condiments that I liked - tomato, onion, pickle, and horseradish. Yum! I ate only half of my waffle fries and gringo cheese sauce. I brought the rest home to either let my husband eat tomorrow or take for lunch. For dessert (later), I had two Reese's dark chocolate peanut butter cups. I had been wanting some dark chocolate. By the way, dark chocolate is healthier for you than other kinds of chocolate.

Now, I'm headed to exercise my delicious dinner off!

P.S. My husband ordered a hamburger with BBQ pork on top with cheese. Nathan ordered a bacon cheeseburger.

Healing Herbs and Spices

1. Cayenne (red) pepper- helps pain, treats shingles pain and diabetes-related nerve pain. Shrinks blood vessels in your nose and throat, relieving congestion. Metabolism booster, speeds up for a couple of hours after eating. Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, and antidiabetes properties.

2. Cinnamon - helps control blood sugar in diabetics; cuts triglycerides and total cholesterol; helps prevent blood clots; antibacterial, anti-inflammatory; shown to conquer E. coli, among other types of bacteria; high in fiber (comes from the bark of a tree); and can reduce heartburn in some people.

3. Cloves - anti-inflammatory; protects against heart disease and cancer; slows the cartilage and bone damage caused by arthritis; improves insulin function; clove oil has numbing effect in addition to bacteria-fighting powers (good use for toothaches); in test tubes, cloves also killed certain bacteria that were resistant to antibiotics.

4. Coriander seeds - digestive aid; helps with irritable bowel syndrome; antianxiety herb; Its essential oil fights bacteria, including E. coli and salmonella. Has been shown to lower cholesterol in animals and is being further studied in humans; antioxidant.

5. Garlic - when eaten daily, can help lower heart disease risk by as much as 76 percent; thins blood and reducing chances of blood clots; antioxidant; appears to ward off cancer, especially stomach and colorectal cancer. The compounds flush carcinogens before they damage DNA, and they force cancer cells that do develop to self-destruct. Antibacterial and antifungal - help with yeast infections, some sinus infections, and the common cold. Can even repel ticks.

6. Ginger - Reduces pain and swelling in people with arthritis. May help with migraines by blocking inflammatory substances called prostaglandins. Boosts digestive juices and neutralizes acids while reducing intestinal contractions. Effective against nausea. One study showed worked just as well as Dramamine, but without making you sleepy.

7. Mustard - made from seeds of a plant from the cabbage family - strong anticancer group of plants. May inhibit growth of cancer cells; can break up congestion; helps with pain if used externally; mustard powder added to a foot bath helps kill athlete's foot fungus. Too much though, can have a laxative effect or cause vomiting.

8. Nutmeg - kills a number of bacteria; inhibits an enzyme in the brain that contributes to Alzheimer's disease and  improves memory in mice. Researchers are currently studying it for an antidepressant.


9. Sage - memory enhancer; some lab studies show that it protects the brain against certain processes that lead to Alzheimer's disease. In at least one study, a sage-oil concoction improved mood, increasing alertness, calmness, and contentedness. In a British study, healthy young adults performed better on word recall tests after taking sage-oil capsules. Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties; boosts the action of insulin to reduce blood sugar.

10. Turmeric - top anticancer agent; slows inflammation that contributes to tumor growth; works in the same way as broccoli and cauliflower to clear carcinogens away before they damage DNA and repairs already damaged DNA. Lab studies showed that Turmeric helps stop the growth and spread of cancer cells that do form. Research shows that it may protect against colon cancer as well as melanoma. In animal studies, curcumin (a chemical in turmeric), decreased the formation of amyloid, the stuff that makes up the brain deposits characteristic in people with Alzheimer's disease.


SOURCE:

Cleary, Allison, et al. Food Cures. New York: The Reader's Digest Association. 2009. Print.

Greek Yogurt

I love Greek yogurt! There are several brands, but my favorite is Stonyfield Oikos organic Greek yogurt. It is more expensive, but to me the quality is so much better. I've used the plain yogurt as a substitute for sour cream and there is no discernible difference in taste, in my opinion. I haven't tasted fat free sour cream in a while, so I'd have to compare tastes.

So far my favorite flavor is caramel. It is a delight! Makes for a healthy and filling dessert (with protein). By the way, it is fat free.

cooking fresh green beans

Who would have thought that fresh green beans take so long to cook?! I didn't. I tried my first batch of fresh green beans last night. I've always been a canned green bean girl. I've done frozen, but didn't cook them very long and they had zero flavor - it wasn't even a zero flavor - it was a negative flavor. I cooked those darn green beans for 2 hours. I know some people like them crisp tender, but we always had them "dead" or really really soft. That's the way I know them. They are not really a "start when you get home from work" side dish. However, I think a crock pot will help me next time. I'll throw them in before I leave for work with some water, bacon, and onion. They should be delicious by the time I get home.

In addition to our green beans last night, we had butternut squash; long grain wild rice; and a turkey loin pre-marinated in garlic and red pepper. I roasted the loin in aluminum foil in a shallow pan with a dash of red wine. Ok. Maybe it was more than a dash. Ok. Maybe I soused it. No matter which way you pour it, it was a good dinner!

I have some more fresh green beans that I didn't cook last night. I'm going to try to blanch them and then freeze them for next time. I also think that I will freeze a small amount of bacon just to be sure that I have some for the next batch of green beans.

During the 2 hours that I was cooking, I reminisced a little about my grandma cooking in the same kitchen that I currently cook. I remember hearing the clang clang clang of the vents on the lids of the Salad Master pots simmering on the stove. Maybe she was cooking green beans or any other numerous dishes for the 3 meals-a-day that she cooked. I inherited these pots and use them daily. As the vents went clang clang clang, it was as if grandma was there in my kitchen.

fruit smoothie

Nathan and I thought we needed a dessert after dinner. So, he suggested a fruit smoothie. This is what we did. The only thing I would do differently next time is choose a seedless fruit. The blackberries were very seedy.

2 cups blackberries
4 Tablespoons all natural peanut butter
1 banana
dried blueberries and craisins
skim milk - enough to fill the blender
12 ice cubes
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Add all ingredients to blender and mix until completely smooth. Next time we will use less seedy fruit. Tasted very good! If I had vanilla or plain yogurt, I would have added some.

Fried Salmon Patties

I'm sure everyone has their own recipe for salmon patties. But, I'll share how I made these.

3 cans (7 oz) of boneless, skinless, salmon fillet packed in water (drained)
3/4 cup onion (chopped)
1 cup bread crumbs
3 eggs
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 T seafood seasoning (lemon pepper and dill)
pepper
3 T olive oil

Heat olive oil in skillet on medium heat. Patty salmon (1/2 inch thick or so). Fry 3-4 patties at a time in oil until golden brown and then flip and brown other side. Drain on a paper plate covered with paper towel. Add more olive oil to fry the remaining patties. Serve with Dijon mustard, if desired. Eat with or without bun. Makes 6-8 patties.

Edamame!!!! Now what to do with it

I bought some frozen edamame (ed-uh-mah-may). This is what I found on www.edamame.com:

"Edamame is a green vegetable more commonly known as a soybean, harvested at the peak of ripening right before it reaches the "hardening" time. The word Edamame means "Beans on Branches," and it grows in clusters on bushy branches. To retain the freshness and its natural flavor, it is parboiled and quick-frozen. In East Asia, the soybean has been used for over two thousand years as a major source of protein. Edamame is consumed as a snack, a vegetable dish, used in soups or processed into sweets. As a snack, the pods are lightly boiled in salted water, and then the seeds are squeezed directly from the pods into the mouth with the fingers."

I might try boiling them in salt water first. Will have to look for more recipes. I bought a HUGE bag from Sam's Club. Hope we like them! I'll let you all know how they turn out!

Healthy food blog that I found

http://summertomato.com/tag/frozen-vegetables/

Beware: Canned seafood

I tried a new recipe today. It looked so good! Seafood stuffed jumbo pasta shells in a Parmesan cream sauce. I noticed the first sign of disaster when I opened the cans of crab. Seriously, I have no idea why I bought cans of crab meat. That's what the recipe called for. Anyway, opened the two cans of crab meat (drained) and dumped in a bowl to mix with my other stuffing mixture. It sure didn't smell like crab meat. At that point, I really wondered if I should even make this recipe. I really was mad that I didn't buy fresh crab meat. It called for tiny shrimp, too -- so I grabbed a can of that while I was at the store (it WAS right next to the canned crab meat). I made the recipe like it called. It's not a bad recipe. But, the crab, shrimp mixture that you are supposed to stuff the jumbo pasta with tasted AWFUL! It really is upsetting. I will probably throw it away. If I make this recipe again, I will use real crab meat and I also thought to mix some cream cheese in with the REAL crab to stuff the shells with. That would probably be pretty tasty. MORAL of the story: seafood should always be fresh -- not even canned will do; except maybe for high quality canned tuna, salmon, or mackerel.

Because we had no leftovers from earlier (that we wanted to eat), I made vegetable soup tonight. I used frozen mixed vegetables instead of my usual canned veggies, so I hope against all hope that it tastes good!!!!

2 vegetables in a meal! What a concept!

People might think I'm weird (and at times I am a bit quirky), but I don't think there is anything wrong with having two different vegetables with a meal. 5 SERVINGS OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES ARE RECOMMENDED PER DAY! When I cook several dishes (not a casserole or soup), I try to have 4 items. It looks better on a plate. Also, a variety of colors makes it more appealing to the eye. I wanted pasta (starch) with our meal last night with our lemon pepper chicken. But, didn't want to do a potato or rice because I thought that was too many carbs. So, I decided to do corn and peas. Now, I do realize that those are the starchiest of vegetables, but it worked and gave nice color to the ensemble. So, tilapia with lemon-pepper seasoning sprinkled on it baked in the oven; box of Suddenly Salad pasta; canned corn and canned peas; buttered whole wheat bread. Now, in the future, I am going to try to buy more frozen vegetables, rather than canned veggies. I'm leery of the added sodium and preservatives in the canned goods. I also believe that frozen veggies retain more nutrients than canned. As far as the pasta salad, I'm sure if I would have made a homemade pasta salad instead of out of a box, it would have been healthier. But, this was on hand, fast, and easy.

Can't wait for the fresh vegetables from our garden; if we can get all the snow melted and the ground dried out!

Disaster with Huevos Rancheros

Tried a new recipe that a good friend gave to me with raving reviews. Seemed simple enough. Tortilla in muffin pans spread with melted butter, black beans mixed with salsa in tortilla. Crack egg into muffin tins. Cook 8 min at 400 degrees, until set. Add shredded cheese, cook 6-7 min. more. voila! beautiful golden authentic huevos rancheros. Like Hell. I used wheat tortillas instead of flour called for in recipe. I couldn't get my eggs to cook. Somehow I must have not put on the recipe card to put the oven at 400 degrees and instead cooked at 350 degrees. Some of them were completely hard, some were gooey. I probably should have used the same types of containers. I used muffin tins, souffle bowls, and mini- pie pans. That probably didn't help. I'm away from cooking for a week and I freaking forget how. Oh, well.  Better luck next time! It's kind of funny.

If anyone wants this recipe from Food Network Channel, let me know and I'll post. Maybe they'll turn out better for you.

The evils of processed food

Once you start eating highly processed food, you might find it tough to stop. Here's why:

1. It's super-easy to eat. With no bones, pits, or clumsy shapes to interfere, processed foods are an object lesson in instant gratification.

2. The texture tantalizes. Processed foods are engineered for optimal mouthfeel -- whether crunchy, creamy, or gooey.  These fun-to-eat qualities can quickly override your better judgement.

3. Flavors hit full-force.  Health-sapping sugar, salt, and fat -- plus additives such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein -- ratchet up taste far beyond what you'd find in nature.  All the more reason to keep it real.

Better Homes and Gardens, March 2011, pg. 168