Showing posts with label Seasonal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seasonal. Show all posts

Monday, November 7, 2011

Fall recipe substitutions for flavorful and healthful fall foods


Recipes for Fall: Flavorful and Healthful
In the fall, nothing seems more comforting than sitting down to a nice, warm meal with your loved ones. But wait, you are trying to eat healthfully! Not to worry—you still can enjoy the enticing richness of autumn’s harvest, while meeting your health goals. These recipe tips will help.
Sweet potato casserole
  • Use egg whites or Egg Beaters® in place of the whole eggs
  • Reduce the amount of margarine or use lite margarine
  • Add some applesauce to the sweet potato mixture
  • Replace canned sweet potatoes with fresh sweet potatoes
  • Choose pineapple packed in its own juice, instead of the kind in heavy syrup
  • Add a cut up apple to the streusel topping and cut down on the amount of pecans
  • Substitute orange juice for some of the melted margarine in the streusel topping
Stuffing
  • Make with low-fat margarine
  • Replace whole eggs with egg whites or Egg Beaters
  • Substitute chicken or turkey sausage for pork sausage
  • Use fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
  • Choose whole-grain bread
Mashed potatoes
  • Make with low-fat cream cheese or lite butter
  • Replace some of the potato with steamed cauliflower (it sounds odd, but it works)
  • Use 2% milk or low-fat buttermilk in place of the heavy cream
Chili
  • Make with extra-lean ground beef, ground turkey, turkey sausage, or trimmed pork tenderloin
  • Select low-sodium, well-drained beans
  • Replace salt with a salt substitute
  • Use lite beer, if beer is called for in your favorite recipe
Corn bread
  • Use low-fat buttermilk
  • Substitute egg whites or Egg Beaters for whole eggs
  • Cut down on the oil, and add an extra splash of milk or some applesauce
Creamed spinach
  • Make with lite margarine
  • Replace sour cream with low-fat sour cream
  • Substitute Neufchâtel cheese for cream cheese
  • Add half the amount of Parmesan cheese called for in the recipe
  • Use no-salt seasoning
Squash or pumpkin soup
  • Make with lite margarine
  • Use low-sodium, low-salt chicken broth or stock
  • Choose lite whipping cream or low-fat half-and-half
  • Substitute Neufchâtel for cream cheese, if your recipe calls for it
Macaroni and cheese
  • Make with lite margarine
  • Use low-fat cheese
  • Choose low-fat half-and-half, evaporated milk, or skim milk
  • Substitute Egg Beaters for whole eggs
  • Replace sour cream with low-fat sour cream, if your recipe calls for it
  • Select whole-grain, lite bread for the topping
Resource: RD411.com 

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Ward Off The Winter Blues With Comfort Foods



 
Why do our bodies crave certain foods in the winter?
  • Our bodies crave food to warm us up.
  • Lack of serotonin from the sun makes us sad, certain foods help raise serotonin.

 
 
What are the best foods to eat when its cold outside?  
 
 
Fight dry skin - Baked salmon, wild rice, and asparagus dinner.

Combat the cold and dry climate with some Vitamin E packed foods. Vitamin E is an antioxidant and a fat soluble vitamin that helps our skin stay moist. Fatty fish are packed with vitamin E and Omega 3's (which are important for brain health).

Fatty fish typically are cold-water fish. The American Dietetic Association recommends:
  • Salmon- 4 ounces of backed salmon contains about 200 calories and 27 grams of protein.
  • Tuna
  • Trout
  • Herring
  • Sardines
  • Mackerel


Other foods rich in vitamin E:
  • whole grains, such as wheat and oats
  • wheat germ
  • leafy green vegetables
  • sardines
  • nuts and seeds


Immune boosters- Grilled cheese and tomato soup lunch. 

Tomatoes are a great source of vitamin C and as an added bonus they are rich in potassium. Potassium helps keep our heart healthy and our muscles from cramping up.

1 cup of tomato soup (low sodium) contains about 85% of your recommended daily vitamin C. It also contains 1 serving of veggies. Containing only 85 calories for a whole cup, it makes a great low calorie side to any sandwich!

The total calories for the entire meal (1 cup of tomato soup, 2 pieces of 45 calorie bread, 1 slice of 2% milk cheddar cheese, and some pam) is about 220 calories, low enough to allow for an extra slice of cheese on your sandwich.


Natural body temperature stabilizers- Drink some hot (green) tea.
 

Water is important to keep our skin hydrated and helps us to regulate body temperature. Make sure to get in 64 ounces of water per day, it may keep you warmer.

Tea is a great way to transport water to your system. Green tea is my favorite because it also contains many antioxidants and tastes great. You can also add a little lemon juice for some extra vitamin C.


Pick-me-ups- Hot oatmeal with fruit and skim milk for breakfast is perfect help make you happy and ready to start the day off right.

The good carbs and fiber found in oatmeal help your brain to make serotonin, which is responsible for making us feel happy. Also oatmeal, fruit, and nuts are filling.

Milk is packed with vitamin D which helps to boost our immune system. Since we tend to stay indoors more in the winter, many of us are deficient in vitamin D because the sun is our biggest source. Vitamin D has been added to most milks now, not whole milk. 



 

 

Sources: 
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39851450/ns/health-healthy_holidays/
Mypyramid.gov
kidshealth.org
WebMD.com

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

10 Ways to Eat Eggplant

Popular fall vegetables include squash, eggplant, and pears.

The following tips are from Fruits and Veggies More Matters.

10.Curry. Cut eggplant into cubes and add to your favorite curry sauce and simmer until tender. Serve over brown basmati rice or quinoa.
9.Stir-Fry. Add eggplant to your stir-fry early on [along with other hard vegetables] so it cooks thoroughly.
8.Baba Ganoush. As a snack: serve Baba Ganoush with pita chips or veggies. In a sandwich: fill a pita with Baba Ganoush, mixed greens and tomatoes.
7.Roast, Peel and Serve over Pasta. Roast a small eggplant. Cool. Peel and cut into cubes. Add to tomato sauce with fresh basil. Serve over pasta.
6. Eggplant Pizza! Top a pizza with cubes of eggplant. Add tomatoes, black olives and red onion. Delicious!
5. Bread, Bake and Serve. Slice eggplant into rounds. Dip into beaten egg whites, then in bread crumbs. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake until tender. Serve on rolls with mixed greens, tomato slices and black olives.
4. A New Kind of Kebob. Add a little something new to your kebobs. Cut eggplant into cubes and add along with your usual kebob favorites.
3. Appetizing Appetizers? Absolutely! Eggplant Bruschetta will be a hit at your next party.
2. Eggplant Lasagna. Slice an eggplant lengthwise into thin slivers and use in lasagna in place of noodles.
1. Ratatouille. Ratatouille is a great way to enjoy eggplant and other summer vegetables. Serve with crusty bread for a delicious meal.

  

Roasted Squash and Eggplant Casserole with Chicken

Serves:  6
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
  • 1 large yellow squash
  • 1 medium eggplant
  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 fresh lemon, juiced
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon fresh parsley
  • Black pepper to taste
  • ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
  • 2 medium size chicken breasts, pre-cooked and cubed
  • 1 cup canned tomato sauce
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Slice squash and eggplant lengthwise.
  3. In a bowl mix the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, black pepper.
  4. Brush squash and eggplant with this seasoning mixture.
  5. Grill the vegetables for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or roast them in the oven under the broiler.
  6. Arrange squash, eggplant, basil and chicken in an 8×8 cooking dish and cover with tomato sauce.
  7. Heat in the oven 20 to 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
1 Cup of Fruits and Vegetables per Serving

Nutrition Information per Serving:
calories: 158
Total Fat: 5.4g
Saturated Fat: 1.0g
Cholesterol: 40mg
Sodium: 292mg
Carbohydrates: 12g
Dietary Fiber: 5g
Protein: 17g
Each serving provides: An excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of magnesium, potassium, folate and fiber.
Recipe courtesy of Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH). This recipe meets PBH and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) nutrition standards that maintain fruits and vegetables as healthy foods.


(keep an eye out within the next month for blogs on squash and pears)

The above was provided by Fruitsandveggiesmorematters.com