One of the best listing of snacks ever was one I found on Self.com. It can be accessed here, and has a ton of sidebar links to explore.
This magazine isn't just about the new diets and exercise, though. It has an advanced recipe search feature, a beauty and style section and community forums.
Self.com promotes a healthy way of life in general by making all these things just one click away.
From recipes and menus, to blogs and articles about food and diet; this site has it all.
My favorite food on the snack list, by the way, is the Back to Nature Honey Graham Sticks.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Berry Good Fruit, Nut and Veggie Salad for One
As promised a while ago, I have made a salad with a lot of fruit and veggies, but the star, of course, are the berries. I suspect this would also be good with thawed and drained frozen fruit. Use organic if you can; there's a real taste difference, particularly in the berries and the cherry tomatoes.
Berry Good Fruit, Nut, and Veggie Salad for One
5 large strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered
1/4 C. blueberries, washed and stemmed
10 grapes, washed, stemmed and halved
5 small cherry or grape tomatoes, washed and halved
4 large leaves of romaine, washed and drained, torn into small bite-size pieces
1 oz. crumbled blue cheese
1 oz. chopped pecans
Bacos (if desired - to taste)
Take romaine; wash and drain it (either by using a salad spinner or shaking it). Gently tear into bite-sized pieces into a large salad bowl. Wash, hull and quarter strawberries; scatter evenly on salad. Wash and stem blueberries and grapes, halve grapes and put on salad between strawberries. Wash and halve cherry/grape tomatoes and put on salad. Top with chopped pecans and crumbled blue cheese. If desired, sprinkle Bacos on top.
Use your choice of salad dressing. (Sometimes I make a dressing and sometimes I use what's in the frig.) I prefer either fat-free honey mustard, blue cheese or a low-fat, somewhat weak vinaigrette dressing on this salad.
Berry Good Fruit, Nut, and Veggie Salad for One
5 large strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered
1/4 C. blueberries, washed and stemmed
10 grapes, washed, stemmed and halved
5 small cherry or grape tomatoes, washed and halved
4 large leaves of romaine, washed and drained, torn into small bite-size pieces
1 oz. crumbled blue cheese
1 oz. chopped pecans
Bacos (if desired - to taste)
Take romaine; wash and drain it (either by using a salad spinner or shaking it). Gently tear into bite-sized pieces into a large salad bowl. Wash, hull and quarter strawberries; scatter evenly on salad. Wash and stem blueberries and grapes, halve grapes and put on salad between strawberries. Wash and halve cherry/grape tomatoes and put on salad. Top with chopped pecans and crumbled blue cheese. If desired, sprinkle Bacos on top.
Use your choice of salad dressing. (Sometimes I make a dressing and sometimes I use what's in the frig.) I prefer either fat-free honey mustard, blue cheese or a low-fat, somewhat weak vinaigrette dressing on this salad.
A Collection of Recipes to Try
I haven't been doing nearly as much cooking as I want to be and thus have been collecting an incredible number of healthy recipes that I'm holding in reserve to review (and probably change out a bit here and there).
Two such recipes are from Alyssa Yeager at Kitchen La Bohème I love reading her blog; she's a very creative person on a mission to eat healthy and primarily vegetarian and vegan. I totally respect that, but I'm not sure I could give up eating my mom's pot roast and meatloaf (or bacon with my eggs). The links to Alyssa's blog entries are below:
EASY DELICIOUS VEGAN Pumpkin Spice Loaf with Maple Glaze
VEGANIZE IT Turkey Cutlet Sandwiches with Smoked Paprika Mayo and Roasted Bell Peppers
Last night, I also saw a re-run of Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals, which featured an intriguing "pizza." Why is "pizza" in quotes? Simply because its base isn't dough, but a portobello mushroom cap. I love mushrooms on my pizza. I think I also could learn to like pizza on my mushrooms by making her Portobello Pizzas recipe. I also liked the looks of Proscuitto with Pears and Arugula, another recipe in the same episode.
If anyone makes these recipes before I do, let me know how they turned out.
By the way, it appears The Rachael Ray Show is moving to ABC as of tomorrow, which I didn't realize until I didn't see her in her usual 11 a.m. NBC slot and did some research on the Web. I don't watch TV all that much, so I guess I missed the memo.
Two such recipes are from Alyssa Yeager at Kitchen La Bohème I love reading her blog; she's a very creative person on a mission to eat healthy and primarily vegetarian and vegan. I totally respect that, but I'm not sure I could give up eating my mom's pot roast and meatloaf (or bacon with my eggs). The links to Alyssa's blog entries are below:
EASY DELICIOUS VEGAN Pumpkin Spice Loaf with Maple Glaze
VEGANIZE IT Turkey Cutlet Sandwiches with Smoked Paprika Mayo and Roasted Bell Peppers
Last night, I also saw a re-run of Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals, which featured an intriguing "pizza." Why is "pizza" in quotes? Simply because its base isn't dough, but a portobello mushroom cap. I love mushrooms on my pizza. I think I also could learn to like pizza on my mushrooms by making her Portobello Pizzas recipe. I also liked the looks of Proscuitto with Pears and Arugula, another recipe in the same episode.
If anyone makes these recipes before I do, let me know how they turned out.
By the way, it appears The Rachael Ray Show is moving to ABC as of tomorrow, which I didn't realize until I didn't see her in her usual 11 a.m. NBC slot and did some research on the Web. I don't watch TV all that much, so I guess I missed the memo.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Product Review: EnviroKids' Organic Koala Crisp cereal
I loved Rice Krispies and Cocoa Crunch cereals as a kid. As an adult, I have become concerned about the preservatives (and other undesirable ingredients, such as corn syrup) that randomly appear where they don't need to be ... such as in my cereal and wanted something that would be a good substitute.
A few years ago, I went through a phase where I did nearly all of my grocery shopping at either Whole Foods Market or Better Health Market. I was trying an elimination diet to see if gluten bothered me, so I was on a mission to find a cereal which didn't include it.
I bought a couple of other cereals with it. The buckwheat flakes weren't a notable success (although they did taste better when I put raisins in the bowl, too). The puffed rice needed serious sugar and milk to be edible. But EnviroKidz Koala Crisp Cereal by Nature's Path Foods was full of chocolaty goodness.
On the website, it's listed as being "Made with love and ...It's a little too good; actually, it's hard to eat just one serving. This fact led to my first major cereal mix in conjunction with the unsweetened puffed rice. (Try it with 2/3 Koala Crisp and 1/3 puffed rice and your choice of milk or milk substitute.)
Organic brown rice flour, organic evaporated cane juice, organic cocoa, natural chocolate flavor, sea salt, organic molasses.
A few years ago, I went through a phase where I did nearly all of my grocery shopping at either Whole Foods Market or Better Health Market. I was trying an elimination diet to see if gluten bothered me, so I was on a mission to find a cereal which didn't include it.
I bought a couple of other cereals with it. The buckwheat flakes weren't a notable success (although they did taste better when I put raisins in the bowl, too). The puffed rice needed serious sugar and milk to be edible. But EnviroKidz Koala Crisp Cereal by Nature's Path Foods was full of chocolaty goodness.
On the website, it's listed as being "Made with love and ...It's a little too good; actually, it's hard to eat just one serving. This fact led to my first major cereal mix in conjunction with the unsweetened puffed rice. (Try it with 2/3 Koala Crisp and 1/3 puffed rice and your choice of milk or milk substitute.)
Organic brown rice flour, organic evaporated cane juice, organic cocoa, natural chocolate flavor, sea salt, organic molasses.
Product Review: Jelly Belly® 100-calorie packs
I was delighted to hear that earlier this year Jelly Belly® had entered into the 100-calorie pack war. I learned to love them when my best friend, whose husband was stationed at Great Lakes with the Navy at the time, worked fro the factory in Chicago.
Even the sugar-free kind taste better than the same old jelly beans in a bag that get scattered through Easter baskets. I was less enthused to hear that some of them had caffeine in them. (I do not need caffeine in my jelly beans, personally.)
Limiting the amount of jelly beans is a great idea, but I think that 100-calorie packs, are, in general, incredibly overpriced.
If you can't find the 100-calorie Jelly Belly® packs, which I understand were being sold singly, why not get one of the larger containers of them or bulk Jelly Belly® beans (available in a number of places, including bulk food sections of various markets)? Put enough different kinds in your bulk bag to be interesting. Wash and dry your hands well when you get home, and put enough jelly beans to be equal to the 100-calorie mark (or 2 Weight Watcher Points). If using the bulk jar, put the packs back into it.
For those people who are all about convenience, and won't bother with that idea, these 100-calorie packs or the small boxes you sometimes see are fine; whatever works for you!
Even the sugar-free kind taste better than the same old jelly beans in a bag that get scattered through Easter baskets. I was less enthused to hear that some of them had caffeine in them. (I do not need caffeine in my jelly beans, personally.)
Limiting the amount of jelly beans is a great idea, but I think that 100-calorie packs, are, in general, incredibly overpriced.
If you can't find the 100-calorie Jelly Belly® packs, which I understand were being sold singly, why not get one of the larger containers of them or bulk Jelly Belly® beans (available in a number of places, including bulk food sections of various markets)? Put enough different kinds in your bulk bag to be interesting. Wash and dry your hands well when you get home, and put enough jelly beans to be equal to the 100-calorie mark (or 2 Weight Watcher Points). If using the bulk jar, put the packs back into it.
For those people who are all about convenience, and won't bother with that idea, these 100-calorie packs or the small boxes you sometimes see are fine; whatever works for you!
Product Review: Breakstone's Reduced-Fat Sour Cream
Originally, I was going to review Breakstone's Fat-Free Sour Cream, but I took another look at the label on Kraft's website to be sure I could recommend it. I found corn syrup listed in the ingredients, and went to a tastier alternative in the same product line.
It does have 2 g saturated fat, which is common with all dairy products (aside from fat-free) but trans fats are listed at 0. For those interested in watching your sodium intake, it has only 20 mg sodium per serving, which, unaccountably, is given in grams, but eight ounces yields seven servings.
Breakstone's Reduced-Fat Sour Cream is preferable in both taste and texture. In addition, it has only six ingredients. In a blind taste test, I could not tell it apart from the full-fat version (of any kind of sour cream I've tried (and I've tried most of them on the market at one time or another). It is my preferred full-fat sour cream substitute, although Daisy's low-fat sour cream, which is cheaper, is a close second. Either of these are acceptable for baking or stirring into Beef Stroganoff; however, I would suggest straining the water off the top first!
It does have 2 g saturated fat, which is common with all dairy products (aside from fat-free) but trans fats are listed at 0. For those interested in watching your sodium intake, it has only 20 mg sodium per serving, which, unaccountably, is given in grams, but eight ounces yields seven servings.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Shopping Review: BetterHealth Market
BetterHealth Market is a good middle-of-the-road store with some great choices. It is a little bit more, I find, than either Whole Foods Market or Trader Joe's, but there are some things I get there that aren't readily available at either of those, one of which (sob) will be no longer. (I'm referring to the Cocoa Mole flavor of the LaraBar)!
Moving on ... The customer service I have experienced at the Novi store is wonderful. I can always get help if I need assistance finding something I want. It has a good selection of healthy foods minus the mind-boggling number of choices you'd find at a Whole Foods Market.
The prepared food section also is a good place to pick up a quick dinner if you'll be too tired to cook after shopping.
You can get some great loss-leader sales on certain items in the store. In addition, BetterHealth Market offers coupons. Some (which vary from 10 percent off your order to 20 percent off a single item) are sent to me in the mail. Usually, there are coupon books available with the flyer in the front of the store. Check these out before shopping to get the best possible deals!
Moving on ... The customer service I have experienced at the Novi store is wonderful. I can always get help if I need assistance finding something I want. It has a good selection of healthy foods minus the mind-boggling number of choices you'd find at a Whole Foods Market.
The prepared food section also is a good place to pick up a quick dinner if you'll be too tired to cook after shopping.
You can get some great loss-leader sales on certain items in the store. In addition, BetterHealth Market offers coupons. Some (which vary from 10 percent off your order to 20 percent off a single item) are sent to me in the mail. Usually, there are coupon books available with the flyer in the front of the store. Check these out before shopping to get the best possible deals!
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