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January 28, 2009

Lettuce Wraps

This recipe has a lot of ingredients but is well worth the effort. Try to cut the veggies as small as possible.

* 1 teaspoon oil
* 8 oz ground turkey
* 3 green onions
* 4 minced garlic cloves
* 1/4 cup minced water chestnut
* 1/4 cup/ minced carrots
* 1/4 cup minced bell pepper
* 4-6 lettuce leaves

Stir Fry Sauce

* 1/4 cup water
* 1 teaspoon cornstarch
* 1/3 cup soy sauce
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup vinegar
* 1 tablespoon oil
* 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
* 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 1 teaspoon chili oil
* 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger

1. Stirfry sauce: combine water and cornstarch and stir until cornstarch is dissolved.
2. Add this to the other stir fry sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.
3. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer till thick.
4. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
5. Cook turkey breast until done. Drain off fat.
7. Put turkey back in the same pan over medium/high heat, and add garlic, water chestnuts, carrots and bell pepper.
8. Heat for 1 minute.
9. Add 5 Tbsp of stir fry sauce to the turkey and heat for 2 minutes, stirring often.
10. The sauce should be bubbly.
11. Add the sliced green onions and stir.
12. Spoon on to lettuce"cups".

Posted by Lisa at 07:18 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

January 24, 2009

Portion Proportion

VISUALIZE THIS

Meat or poultry: 3 ounces equal a deck of cards equals palm of your hand

Salad dressing: 2 tablespoons equal a shot glass

Pasta or rice, cooked: 1 cup equals 1 baseball equals a tight fist

Hard cheese: 1 ounce equals 4 dice

Pancake/waffle: 4 inches equals diameter of a CD

Cheese slice, deli meat: 1 ounce equals diameter of a CD

Nuts, dried fruit, granola: 1/4 cup equals a golf ball

Veggies, berries: 1 cup equals a baseball equals a tight fist

Posted by Lisa at 07:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 20, 2009

Eating More: Lentils

Lentil-Edamame Stew
from Cooking Light

Fava beans are traditional in this stew, which we updated with edamame. You can also substitute green peas for the edamame, if you like. Scoop up the thick stew with Teff Injera Bread or pita. Halve the portion if you'd like to serve this as a hearty side dish.

1 cup dried lentils
3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups minced red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash of ground cloves

1. Place lentils in a large saucepan; cover with water to 2 inches above lentils. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well, and set aside.

2. Place edamame in a small saucepan; cover with water to 2 inches above edamame. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until edamame are tender. Remove from heat; drain well.

3. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and tomatoes to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until onion is translucent, stirring often. Stir in lentils, edamame, juice, and remaining ingredients. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring often.


Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

CALORIES 320 (23% from fat); FAT 8g (sat 1.1g,mono 5.2g,poly 1.4g); IRON 5.7mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 59mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.4g; SODIUM 432mg; PROTEIN 18.6g; FIBER 10.7g

Posted by Lisa at 09:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 15, 2009

Smart Snacking

Visit the new interactive website, www.licensetosnack.com, developed by the American Dietetic Association and Frito-Lay North America. It includes information for consumers to make better decisions about snacks.

You'll find a supermarket tour and information on mypyramid. It also has health tools such as calculators for BMI, Calorie Needs and Target Heart Rate.

Posted by Lisa at 07:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 11, 2009

Try Something New: White beans

Dark beans seem to get all the glory. It's true that deep-pigmented red and black beans have the most antioxidants. Yet, white beans are the fiber champions. White Navy and Great Northern beans have more fiber than any other legume. Just one cup provides half your fiber needs for the day.

These anemic-looking legumes also provide the most phosphorus, a mineral important for strong bones. Like all beans, the white varieties are good sources of high-quality protein, potassium, folate and fiber, especially the soluble type that can help lower blood cholesterol levels.

Posted by Lisa at 10:29 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 03, 2009

Homemade baby food: nutritious, easy

Providing baby with the best nutrition possible is key. Preparing homemade baby food gives parents the opportunity to do so. Easy and cost-effective, homemade baby food can be higher in nutritional quality, lower in sodium, more varied and tailored best to fit cultural preferences more often than off-the-shelf products. Offering a wide variety of taste and textures reduces the odds that baby will become a picky eater as he or she grows.

Therefore, having more control over what goes into baby's food by making it at home can be a real asset.

Before introducing solids, there are a few important things to keep in mind. Make sure baby is ready. Wait to introduce solids (including infant cereal) until your newborn is at least 6 months old. To safely progress to solids, infants need to develop necessary motor skills (holding their head up, developing the gag reflex, etc.), which occur typically around this time. In addition, although there is conflicting research, introducing solids too early could play a role in developing food allergies. Hence, it may be a good idea to err on the side of caution and wait until 6 months. Be sure to speak to your child's pediatrician and/or registered dietitian beforehand.

It is especially important to follow safe food-handling practices when preparing food for baby, as they are more vulnerable to germs. Thoroughly wash hands and equipment.

Prepare fresh fruits and vegetables by scrubbing, peeling and removing seeds and pits. For meat, always remove bones, gristle and fat.

Cook food in a small amount of water (use a steamer or steamer basket for best results) until it reaches a soft consistency, keeping excess water on hand for later use. After cooking, puree or mash cooked food to desired consistency, adding breast milk, formula or cooking liquid as needed. You can use a fork, potato masher, blender, food processor, strainer or a clean food mill if you have one on hand. If planning to use a small coffee grinder to mash food, choose one that has only been used for food (not coffee).

Finally, avoid adding herbs and seasonings until baby is at least 9 months old, while staying clear of salt, sugar and other sweeteners.

When made in larger batches, prepared food can be refrigerated for up to two days or kept frozen for up to six weeks. For easy freezing, pour baby food into ice cube trays, cover and transfer into dated freezer bags once frozen. The cubes will then allow you to prepare meals quickly, since they can be defrosted in the microwave, over low heat on the stove or overnight in the refrigerator. If baby food is left out for more than two hours, discard.

With the simplicity and healthfulness of creating your child's own baby food, why not venture into the world of baby culinary cuisine? For more information and baby-friendly recipes, pick up a copy of "Baby and Toddler Cookbook" by Rachel Anne Hill, or "Feeding Baby: Everyday Recipes for Healthy Infants and Toddlers" by Joachim and Christine Splichal.

Posted by Lisa at 08:34 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack