Packing a Tasty Snack for the Road

Since I was not fortunate enough to travel to a tropical paradise this spring break, I decided to bring the tropics home by making a yummy fruit salad.  Instead of jetting off to the beach, I spent a weekend at Union College in Schenectady, New York with my two sisters that go there.  Since the drive is 3 hours, I decided to pack a healthy snack.  Since the weather is getting warmer and fruit is now in season, when I went to the grocery store, I picked up 4 kiwis, a container of strawberries and a container of blueberries all totaling under $10, which is  great deal for lots of fruit!  I put together a fruit salad with my 3 favorite fruits for my car trip snack and it was delicious!

 
Some Interesting Health Facts

Kiwis:  This fruit is very high in vitamins and minerals.  Kiwis contain more vitamin C than oranges do and just as much potassium as bananas contain.  Studies have show that eating kiwi helps your respiratory system immensely.

Strawberries: they are a great source of vitamin C, K, and B6, as well as fibers and flavonoids.  These flavonoids that strawberries contain help to protect against inflammations, heart disease and cancer.

Blueberries:  they contain flavonoids and anthocyanidins, which are antioxidants.  They have the highest content of antioxidants, which may protect against Alzheimer's disease and prevent stress and age related diseases, as well as improve people's vision.


(information found on http://www.everynutrient.com)

Put a Stop to Your Sugar Cravings

Decadent Desserts That Don't Cramp Your Style

I admit, I have a sweet tooth!  One thing that I always crave is desserts.  I am a huge chocolate fan and love anything that is sweet.  I like to bake and I really love simple and easy to make recipes.  Many people when they are trying to lose weight feel that they need to cut out dessert completely from their diets.  This is not entirely true.  In order to maintain a healthy diet and to put a stop to your sugar cravings, you should still include some form of sugar or dessert in your diet, the key is to just eat it in moderation and to cut the amount of calories and fat by choosing healthier desserts.  One of my favorite dessert to make is oatmeal raisin cookies! They are not only very tasty, but they are low in calories and are a great example of a dessert that still satisfies your cravings but doesn't load on the fat.  This recipe below is for cookies that are only 225 calories!

 

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients

• Boiling water
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup apple butter
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

1. In a bowl, add the raisins and cover with boiling water. Let stand 5 minutes. Once plumped, drain the raisins and set aside to cool completely.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

3. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

4. Using an electric mixer, beat the apple butter, butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until just combined; stir in the oats and raisins.

5. Using a rounded tablespoon, drop the cookies onto parchment-lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart (12 per sheet). Bake until the cookies are no longer wet-looking in the center, 14 to 16 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

(Recipe found on FoodNetwork.com)

Healthy and Hearty Meals

Say Goodbye to Seasonal Depression

Personally, I am not a fan of winter.  I really don't like the snow and I hate being cold.  During the winter people tend to eat more, consuming approximately 6 to 7 percent more calories then when it is warm out.  One of the reasons people tend to consume more is because many people are inside their homes more in winter and cooking and eating gives them something to do with their time.  Another reason is that some people experience winter or seasonal depression.  This causes them to eat more and normally leads to a significant weight gain.  Ways to avoid this is to cook up healthy, hearty meals that are low in calories and are nutritionally balanced!

A recipe that is one of my families favorites is:

Homemade Chicken Soup

Directions:

1. Top chicken with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and basil flakes

2. Place the chicken in the oven to bake

3. When half way cooked add in mixture and let heat up on the stove.

Mixture Ingredients:

-can of chicken broth

-2 teaspoons of minced garlic

-chopped up red onion

-can of artichoke hearts chopped

-package of sun-dried tomatoes

-olives

(Recipe courtesy of my mom, Joanna Flanagan)

Healthy Snacking

Snacks:

To ward off that hunger in between meals snacks are key.  Many dieters look down upon snacks thinking it is just extra calories and ones to lead to extra pounds, this notion however is false.  Snacks not only keep our stomachs full and minds alert, but they keep us from over indulging at meals.  As with everything there are healthy snacks and not so healthy snacks. Instead of sugar filled, chemically altered, and packed with fat, focus on snacks that provide us with fiber, whole wheat carbohydrates, and of course protein to give us that energy boost.  One easy snack to make is a trail mix.  This trail mix provides us with healthy fats, lots of protein and those essential carbohydrates.  This snack is portable and easy to make on a Sunday and have for the week ahead.  Feel free to substitute your favorite nuts in place of my choices, here is my favorite trail mix recipe:

Almond Lover Trail Mix

Ingredients

•   1 cup cocoa-dusted almonds

•   1 cup dry-roasted almonds

•   1 cup pitted dried dates, chopped

•   1 cup raisins (golden or regular)

•   1 cup prunes, chopped

•   1 cup dried apricots, chopped

Directions

Combine the ingredients in a large bowl. Store in an air tight container.

Spread Some Love With This Appetizer!

Valentine's Day Fun

Celebrate Valentine's Day with the people you love and this yummy appetizer!  Try making this one for you and your significant others dinner date!

 
Crostini with Brie, Dates, and Toasted Walnuts

1. Preheat your oven 425 degrees

2. Cut bread and place on a baking sheet

3. Dab both sides of the bread with oil and then sprinkle salt on side that is facing up - just a tsp. for all pieces

3. Cook for about 8 minutes until starting to brown and is crisp

Put on brie  and return to oven to melt

4. When out of oven put on the mixture of:

    1/2 coarsely chopped walnuts

    1/2 cup dates (no pits)

    1 Tbs. honey

    1 Tbs. balsamic vinaigrette

5. Top with chives

To make this dish more festive for the holiday, I added some candy hearts onto the platter to decorate! 

Two Family Favorites!

I love being part of a big family.  Family dinners are one of my favorite things to have when I am home.  I love hearing about everyone's days and laughing and sharing stories with my sisters and brother.  My sister and I often help my mom cook and these are two of my family's favorite meals!

My siblings and me!

Sauteed Chicken with Mozzarella and Bruschetta 

1. Saute Chicken in a skillet with two cloves of garlic and 1/4 cup of chicken broth.

2. Add 1 cup of marinara sauce

3. Cover chicken with fresh mozzarella slabs

4. top that with fresh bruschetta

5. Salt and Pepper

6. Cover and simmer until mozzarella melts

7. Serve over a bed of lettuce

Made by My mom and me!

Salmon and Shrimp over Lettuce

1. Salmon and shrimp sauteed with seasoning
2. Add pesto and light cream
3. Serve over a bed of lettuce and place chopped tomatoes around the dish

Below shows the steps in order

Spice it Up With a Yummy Dinner!

Dinner

After a long day of school or work most of us are starving by dinner time.  With high carb choices all around us (i.e pizza, or pasta) it is easy to over indulge and eat a days worth of calories in just one sitting! Not that we should nix pasta and pizza and other high carbohydrate options all together, but it is all about portion control and picking the best pasta and pizza dishes; and ones full of vegetables and fresh ingredients. 

For starters NO MORE WHITE- white bread provides us with little to no fiber as well as few minerals and vitamins.  The thing that makes the bread "white" is the removal of the bran and germ within the flour.  The bran and germ are the nutritional aspects in wheat bread that make it so healthy for us.  Then to make it worst the bread is then bleached to give it that pure white color! Instead whether it is bread, pasta, wraps, crackers etc. always chose whole grain, (tip: even if the box or packaging says whole wheat, read the ingredients list and the first ingredient should always be whole wheat flour- that way you know you are really getting what you want!!)

Another healthy tip- so that we don't over indulge (even on whole wheat versions) prior to eating that pasta dish eat either a soup or salad.  It is found that those who start their meal with a salad or cup of soup eat overall less calories than those who don't.  Anything as simple as some dark green lettuce with your favorite low calorie dressing- or even a bean salad- all are good healthy options full of fiber, protein, and key vitamins and minerals to keep our waists slim and bodies healthy.  Try this dinner recipe tonight!!

Pasta Primavera:

•    3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips

•    2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut thin strips

•    2 yellow squash cut into thin strips

•    1 onion, thinly sliced

•    1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips

•    1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

•    1/4 cup olive oil

•    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

•    1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs

•    1 pound farfalle (Bowtie pasta- whole wheat)

•    15 cherry tomatoes- halved

•    1/2 cup grated Parmesean cheese

Directions

1.     Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

2.     On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange evenly over the baking sheets. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.

3.     Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water (8 minutes)

4.    Combine pasta and veggies in a large bowl. Toss with the cherry tomatoes.  Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.