Mom's Beef Stroganoff

There are many variations of Beef Stroganoff recipes out there and chances are your favorite recipe is the one you grew up eating it as a child. Some like it with or without mushrooms, peas, wine, tomato sauce, etc.

This is the recipe I grew up eating (lightened up a bit). Now, I don't usually make recipes with canned soup, but I've always enjoyed this as a kid, so I thought I would share Mom's recipe. It's been years since I've eaten this, and this was my family's first time tasting it, so they were the deciding factor if this would get posted or not. Two thumbs up from my picky daughter! She loved it, even ate the mushrooms to our surprise!

Growing up we ate this over egg noodles but to lower the points, why not serve this over spaghetti squash?

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

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Summer Chicken Salad with Fruit

Growing up, I was never a big fan of your traditional chicken salad. It was mushy and bland and oh so boring with the lack of veggies. I suppose it didn't help that I never liked Mayo either, can't stand it in fact, Gag!  I guess chicken salad never really had a chance with me. It ranked right up there with potato salad and egg salad sandwiches as far as I was concerned. So, I hate to even call this "chicken salad". I mean technically, it is a chicken salad, but with so much more pizazz and flair! It's chicken salad all grown up.  It has tangy, sweet and savory flavors in every bite. I love how you can really taste each separate flavor since the yogurt is so nice and light as apposed to mayo. (man, this wasn't supposed to be a mayo bashing, sorry to all you mayo lovers... get over it ).

However, here is the ugly truth regarding mayo, in calories and fat comparison.

(Low-fat yogurt has 9 calories a tablespoon, versus 99 for regular mayonnaise and 30 for sour cream.)

You can substitute yogurt for mayo in almost anything.

Serve this salad over lettuce instead of in a sandwich! You won't miss the bread. This is full of flavor, filling and healthy!

Even my picky eater LOVED this, curry and all! Here is the official thumbs up of approval!

You will need:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1  cup plain, fat free yogurt
1 TBSP curry powder ( if you just don't like curry... *sigh.... you could use tarragon instead for a different twist)
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup sliced red grapes
1/2 cup diced apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Green Leaf (or simialr) lettuce

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Poach the chicken. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add 1/2 tsp salt and the chicken, reduce the heat until the water is barely simmering, and cook until opaque throughout (8-10 min). Remove from heat and let stand until cool enough to handle. Cut into bite size cubes

2) Make the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, curry powder 1/2 tsp salt, and a pinch of pepper.

3) Assemble the salad. Add the chicken, celery, apples, grapes and walnuts/pecans. Drizzle the dressing over top and toss to coat evenly. Arrange the lettuce on plates and top with the chicken mixture.

Nutritional Info:

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 220.6

Total Fat: 9.4 g

Cholesterol: 45.5 mg

Sodium: 311.3 mg

Total Carbs: 16.1 g

Dietary Fiber: 4.4 g

Protein: 20.1 g

Beef Carpaccio

My favorite appetizer when I go to a local Italian spot near me is the beef carpaccio. Thin sliced raw beef, arugula and shaved Asiago. Here I used rare roast beef and made a lemon vinaigrette. My husband loved it! You can serve this as an appetizer for four or have it as a lunch for two. For a vegetarian option see Zucchini Carpaccio.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce

This amazing fish dish will make you look like you really know your way around the kitchen. The sauce really makes the dish! For you Thai lovers, this recipe is a keeper. Prep all your ingredients before you start cooking, I used my mini food processor to save time (love this!). This dish is quick, easy, took less than 30 minutes start to finish. Perfect over jasmine rice. (You can substitute basil for cilantro if you don't care for cilantro)

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Barbacoa Beef

If you like cumin and spicy food, then you'll love Barbacoa Beef. Spicy shredded beef braised in a blend of chipotle adobo, cumin, cloves, garlic and oregano. This was a recipe request I was glad to make. Another Chipotle's inspired dish. If you've never eaten at Chipotle's, then you probably don't understand the obsession.

I made this in my pressure cooker which cut down the cooking time by half but you can use a Dutch oven instead. One thing I should mention, I used four chipotle peppers and it was very spicy, so use your judgment on how much to use depending on how spicy you like your food. I served this over cilantro lime rice with corn salsa. These would also make great beef tacos or burrito bowls. Enjoy!!

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Removing Indoor Toxins from your Home.

bamboo palm

When we moved into our house a few years ago, I didn't realize how toxic the combination of new materials would be to my family's health. My allergies went crazy and I started suffering from chronic migraines and fatigue. Our baby, Jack, then 8 months old suffered from chronic allergies and bronchial infections. I didn't realize it was from the new carpet and glue in the recently installed cabinets until a pediatrician asked if we'd moved into a new home recently and informed me of the toxins.

Of course I wanted to rip out the carpets, but that wasn't budget friendly. I felt so guilty and desperate I went out and bought expensive air purifiers and threw myself into research on the subject. I want to share the harm of indoor toxins, not so you too will panic, but be aware of the dangers and do what ever you can to clean out your home. Plants are a wonderful fix. They are pretty and clean your air. Check here for a list of the top ten plants to clean your indoor air.

I never considered that E. Coli could be tracked into my home after using a public restroom hours earlier. I also never thought that ordinary dirt was harmful, but I came to discover that dirt can contain alarming levels of lead. The Door Mat Study concludes that using a door mat cuts down the toxic lead dust levels in a home virtually in half and taking off your shoes before entering your home cuts the toxic dust down by 60%. So by implementing both rules, you can cut down the toxic dust being tracked into your home by 98.5%, and considering that 2% of the dust in our homes is from inside sources while the remaining 98% is the result of wearing shoes indoors, we can almost eliminate the indoor dust completely.

Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency has shown that indoor air may be even more polluted than the air outside. You may be asking yourself, "How can this be?" Many of us envision our homes as our private, safe sanctuaries. This is due, in large part, to the high amount of toxic chemicals in the products we use, as well as our bad habits

Dracaena

Smoke from cooking, using insecticides, plugging in a room freshener, or getting your carpets cleaned -- all these release chemicals that stay in your home LONG after you stop using them!

Household products, furnishings and cosmetics release vapors and particles that people can inhale or absorb through the skin. Then there are the pollutants that are tracked into the house from outside that add to the hazard.

The nation's best researchers on indoor air pollution are cautioning consumers that levels in houses are many times higher than those from the outdoors, even when compared to city air where trucks and factories belch pollution.

pothos

Common indoor plants may provide a valuable weapon in the fight against rising levels of indoor air pollution. NASA scientists are finding them to be surprisingly useful in absorbing potentially harmful gases and cleaning the air inside homes, indoor public spaces and office buildings.

The indoor pollutants that affect health are formaldehyde, Volatile Organic Compounds (benzene and trichloroethylene or TCE), airborne biological pollutants, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, pesticides and disinfectants (phenols), and radon. These pollutants contribute to ’sick building syndrome’, which causes symptoms ranging from allergies, headaches and fatigue through to nervous-system disorders, cancer and death.

Click here for the Top Ten indoor plants that help remove toxins.

information found at Earth easy . Global Healing Center. Women's health Green Daily

You might also like:

"Greener Cleaners"

Baked Lump Crab Cakes with Red Pepper Chipotle Lime Sauce

The baked crab cakes are out of this world! You'll think they came from a high end restaurant.
Serve these as an appetizer or enjoy as a meal with a salad.

Trying to come up with a low fat crab cake was quite a challenge, but you won't miss the fried version when you taste these. The sauce adds just the right amount of heat to them, but you can adjust to your taste.

I highly recommend using fresh crab meat rather than canned for best results. Do not skip refrigerating the patties before baking, this really helps them stay together.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Chicken and Quinoa Salad

This dish is so amazing! Not only is it simple to make and very colorful and pretty, it is very healthy and my kids love it! What more could you ask for? I promise you will love quinoa. It is, in my humble opinion, a million times better than rice! So light and fluffy and yummy!

Quinoa facts found here.

Quinoa contains more protein than any other grain; an average of 16.2 percent, compared with 7.5 percent for brown rice, 9.9 percent for millet, and 14 percent for wheat. Some varieties of quinoa are more than 20 percent protein. Quinoa's protein is of an unusually high quality. It is a complete protein (click for info on complete proteins!), with an essential amino acid balance close to the ideal ... similar to milk!
Easy on the Stomach Quinoa is light, tasty, and easy to digest. It is not sticky or heavy like most other grains, and it has a delicious flavor all its own.

Quick and Simple to PrepareA whole-grain dish of quinoa takes just 15 minutes

Perfect for SummertimeMany people eat grains only during the colder months, but quinoa's lightness combined with its versatility in cold dishes like salads and desserts makes it an ideal source of good summertime nutrition.

Kids love it!

PREP 15 minutes COOK 15 minutes SERVES 4-6You will need: 

1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 1/2 cups ( about 6 oz) cooked, cubed chicken (boil or bake, I use my handy dandy pressure cooker)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup diced radishes ( about 4)
1/2 cup chopped seeded, peeled cucumber
1/4 cup chopped, fresh flat leaf parsley
3 TBSP toasted pine nuts

Rinse quinoa under running water to remove natural "soapy" film! Bring broth to a boil in a
medium saucepan. Stir in quinoa. Turn down heat to low, cover and cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl to cool slightly.
In a cast iron skillet, over medium heat, add pine nuts (No Oil) shaking constantly till golden brown, about 3 minutes.
In a large bowl combine chicken, radishes, onions, cucumber, parsley, quinoa and pine nuts. Toss gently to combine. 

Dressing:1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 1/2 TBSP grapeseed oil (or evoo)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 garlic clove minced
Combine all ingredients in a large measuring cup.
Whisk to combine. Pour over salad, toss gently.

NUTRITION FACTS

amount per serving

Calories 347

Calories from Fat 131 (37%)

Amount Per Serving %DV

Total Fat 14.6g 22%

Saturated Fat 2.3g 11%

Monounsaturated Fat 6.8g

Polyunsaturated Fat 3.9g

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 39mg 13%

Sodium 377mg 15%

Potassium 659mg 18%

Total Carbohydrate 33.6g 11%

Dietary Fiber 3.5g 14%

Sugars 1.1g

Protein 21.8g 43%

Skinny Strawberries Romanoff

A simple yet elegant dessert. The combination of sour cream with the sweetness of the brown sugar is absolutely addicting! My mother learned how to make this recipe in a culinary class she took when I was younger and it became a childhood favorite of mine. I just called it strawberry dip not knowing it actually had a name. Other variations include adding a tiny bit of orange zest or the juice of an orange, or a splash of Grand Marnier. I think it's perfect without. Serve this in a champagne or martini glass with a mint leaf for an elegant presentation.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Eggplant & Tomato Rustic Pasta Bake

The fresh herbs are the key component of this rustic dish. Since there is no sauce, the flavors come from the herbs and roasting of the veggies.The ricotta is dropped in by spoonfuls throughout the pasta adding a wonderful, creamy, rich flavor that is

guilt free!

I love this pasta made with semolina! I get mine at Costco in a variety pack, they also have spagetti noodles. It cooks up perfectly and is so much better for you than "white, enriched" pasta. I've tried to love whole wheat pasta but just can't get past the gritty, cardboard taste. Semolina is just as good for you and tastes wonderful.

Actually, even though 100% durum wheat isn’t as dark of a color as something labeled “whole wheat,” it actually is a coarsely ground whole grain. Durum wheat is a class of wheat. Durum wheat is preferred for pasta because it is high in protein, dense and strong. Semolina is 100 % whole grain, because it contains the entire wheat berry ( the entire wheat kernel, without the hull, which contains the bran, germ, and endosperm.) and the full spectrum of nutrients and fiber. In contrast, “white” pasta is refined and processes out much of the nutritional value. In short, duram semolina is the gritty coarse particles of wheat left after the finer flour has passed through a bolting machine.

Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 30 min. & 20 min.
Serves 6-8

You will need:

9 oz. of Semolina, Rigattoni pasta, cooked according to package
about 1 cup of Ricotta Cheese ( or lowfat cottage cheese)
2 medium eggplants (pick eggplants that are firm and shiny)
12-14 Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 Vidallia Onion (sweet onion)
1 medium Red Bell Pepper (High in vitamins C, B6, A and E and Iron, Fiber & Potassium.)
1 TBSP EVOO
fresh herbs, Thyme, Oregano, Basil and Parsley
Kosher salt for preparing eggplant

Putting it all Together:

~ First! Peel eggplant with a butcher knife; don't be afraid to try new veggies, they LOVE you! I don't worry about peeling it perfectly. I like to leave a bit of the skin on, it looks pretty.
~ Slice the eggplant into about 1 1/2 inch slices. Then, cut slices into quarters. Place cut eggplant into large colander a bit at a time sprinkling generously with salt after each layer. This extracts the slight bitter taste. I fill a bowl or large zip lock bag with water and place it on top of the eggplant to help extract the juices. Leave alone for 30-40 minutes.
~ Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400̊ . Cut your cherry tomatoes in half. Cut your onion and RBP into pieces as big as the tomatoes.
~ Place all veggies except eggplant into a large bowl and drizzle with 1 tsp of EVOO, mix to coat (I've found you need to use less oil when you do it this way). Put on baking sheet and into oven for 15 minutes. Remove, set aside.
~ Rinse eggplant under cold running water very well to remove salt. Put them on a kitchen towel, pat to dry. Put eggplant into the same bowl you used for the onion & RBP and drizzle them with a TBSP EVOO, toss to coat. Eggplant soaks up oil so don't use too much! It doesn't need to look evenly coated.
~ Spread evenly on baking sheet and cook at 400̊ for 15 minutes. Don't crowd your veggies or they will steam and be soggy. You want to roast them not steam them.
~ While eggplant is roasting, boil pasta al dente.
~ Put all veggies along with cooked pasta into a casserole dish.
~ Roughly chop and then sprinkle all the herbs onto pasta mix.
~ Gently toss ingredients around to combine and to coat the dish with oil.
Drop Ricotta Cheese by spoonfuls onto pasta mix.
Bake at 400̊ for about 20 minutes.


I hope I didn't make that sound difficult because it really isn't!
I just feel the need to explain things in detail.
Let me know what you guys think. I would really appreciate any and all comments or suggestions!


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Serving Size 1 (332g)
Recipe makes 6 servings
Calories 309
Calories from Fat 78 (25%)

Amount Per Serving %DV
Total Fat 8.7g 13%
Saturated Fat 3.9g 19%
Monounsaturated Fat 3.3g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 20mg 6%
Sodium 43mg 1%
Potassium 676mg 19%
Total Carbohydrate 47.2g 15%
Dietary Fiber 8.6g 34%
Sugars 7.3g
Protein 12.7g 25%

Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas

For the enchilada lover out there, these enchiladas are great tasting, high in fiber and very filling! One filled me up with a salad, my husband with a bigger appetite filled up on two. Top them with a little fat free sour cream, scallions or cilantro on top. Look for half point tortillas that are whole wheat and low carb such as Tumaro's, La Tortilla Factory or Trader Joe's. If you like this recipe you may also want to try one of my favorites, Chicken Enchiladas.

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Mango Peach Smoothie

Just peachy! Mango peach smoothie, perfect way to use those ripe Spring peaches – I can't think of a better way to start your day than with a smoothie!! It's smoothie week here at Skinny Taste and today's smoothie is Mango Peach. Not all fruit smoothies are low in calories so be careful and make sure you know what you are getting when you order one out. Best guarantee to knowing what you're eating is to make it yourself!!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Triple Berry Smoothie

For a healthy breakfast to go, made with clean, wholesome ingredients, try this berry smoothie made with strawberries, raspberries AND blackberries blended with yogurt and ice. I'm a berry lover, so the fact that they are good for you is an added bonus.

Freeze it in the summer for an awesome frozen berry pop your kids will love!

Low in calories, rich in vitamin C and loaded with cancer preventing flavonoids and phytochemicals. Drink up!!


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Medditteranean Hummus

I have been making hummus for several years now. I just think it is so much better than store bought. If you think you don't like hummus and have only tried store bought, give hummus a second chance with this recipe! I bet you will like love it! All but one of my kids (I won't mention any names, but it's the usual suspect) love this! If I call it dip they'll dig in. Actually, come to think of it, when I bring hummus to work people stop and ask me what I'm eating. When I tell them it's hummus, they usually scrunch up there noses and say they've never liked hummus. However, when I call it bean dip (technically it is a bean dip, garbanzo bean) they try it and love it. Where's your sense of adventure people? Where's the fun in eating the same old things day after day? Anyway, after years of experimenting I think I have come up with the best hummus in the world! I really, really loved how authentic this particular hummus tasted. Not that I've been to the Medditteranean or Middle East but I sure could picture it while eating this hummus.

So what exactly is hummus? I'm glad you asked. Hummus is made from garbanzo beans, sometimes called chick peas. Hummus is actually the Arabic word for chickpea, called garbanzo in Spanish, ceci in Italian, gram in India. It is used throughout the Arabic world. It is popular in the Medditteranean and as far away as India. Usually it is used as an appetizer with an accompaniment of pita bread or veggies or as a sauce for meats and fish. It has been around for thousands of years being used by our hunter-gatherer ancestors, which as far as I'm concerned means it is probly a safe bet that it is a healthy food.

So, now that you know everything you ever wanted to know about hummus, I suppose I will share my recipe with you. This makes a wonderful mid-afternoon snack! Jazz it up like my picture and it is a pretty and

impressive hors d'oeuvres.

You will need:

2 - 15 oz. cans of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup of pine nuts

1/4 cup EVOO

(you could use tahini, which is actually more traditionally used, just omit the EVOO if you do. I don't like the "peanut butter, smokey taste of tahini and I love pine nuts)

Juice of 1-2 lemons (about 1/3 cup)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne (omit if you don't like it spicy, but it's just a little)

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp paprika, plus a sprinkle for garnish

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

2 TBSP shopped fresh parsley plus sprig for garnish

2-3 TBSP Hot water if needed.

Kalamata Olives as garnish

1. Toast the pine nuts over med-high heat in a DRY (no oil) cast iron skillet (again, get rid of your coated, non-stick pans, they are bad, bad, bad for your health!) Shaking the skillet continuously until the pine nuts brown nicely, about 1-2 minutes.

2. Combine all ingredients in a plastic container. If you have an immersion blender I highly recommend using it! You can use a food processor or blender but it is kind of a pain to keep scraping the sides, also, the texture is MUCH smoother when you use an immersion blender. Add a TBSP of water at a time to get to desired consistency.

Serve with pita chips, inside pitas with cucumber, tomato, falafel etc. as a healthy alternative to mayo. Or, my favorite, with fresh veggies and Kalamata olives such as cucumber, sugar snap peas, mini sweet peppers, carrots or whatever you want.

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Nutrition Facts:

Serving Size 1 (149g) about 1/3 cup
Recipe makes 8 servings

Calories 220; Calories from Fat 77 (35%); Total Fat 8.6g; Saturated Fat 1.2g;
Monounsaturated Fat 3.0g ; Polyunsaturated Fat 3.8g; Trans Fat 0.0g; Cholesterol 0mg 0%; Sodium 330mg 13%; Potassium 297mg 8%; Total Carbohydrate 31.4g 10%; Dietary Fiber 7.5g 30%; Sugars 0.0g Protein 8.4g

Hummus

Vietnamese noodle rolls

 I got this recipe from Sunset magazine. I made a few changes such as the addition of red cabbage because I had it on hand and it's so good for you. I added a few small, pre-cooked shrimp to each roll and I omitted the canned french-fried onions.This was actually pretty fun and simple to make. There is no cooking involved making for a great throw together summer dinner. I forgot to picture the shrimp. You can omit it if you prefer all veggies. I happen to love shrimp so in it went. It wasn't hard to find the rice noodles or rice-paper wrappers, they were in the Asian section of my Fry's.

 

MAKES 10 rolls TIME 30 minutes


You Will Need:

3 1/2 oz. thin dried rice noodles (vermicelli)


1/4 English cucumber, unpeeled


1/2 large carrot, peeled


1 cup 71-80 count pre-cooked shrimp, washed and tails removed


Ten 8 1/2 in. rice-paper wrappers (bánh tráng)


5 red lettuce leaves torn in half legthwise


30 mint leaves

40 cilantro leaves (about 1/4 cup)

*Sweet and Spicy Sesame Sauce (recipe follows) You could also use a peanut sauce. Try to avoid pre-made, jarred sauces. They have a TON of added sugar and preservatives. It's super simple to throw together your own sauce. Most of the ingredients in this sauce are pretty common in most Asian dishes so you will use them again.

1. Put noodles in a large bowl and cover with just boiling water. Let noodles sit until tender, 5-8 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cut cucumber and carrot into 4-in. lengths and then into match-sticks, using a mandoline if have one (I used my KitchenAid shredder attachment) to yeild1/2 cup of each.

3. Drain noodles, rinse with cold water, and spread them out on a baking sheet lined with a kitchen towel. Pat dry.

4. Divide noodles into 2 long "logs; cut with scissors to total 10 equal portions. ( I was lazy and just snipped chunks as I filled the rolls.)

5. On a work surface, set out all ingredients except the sesame sauce. Pour very hot tap water into a large shallow bowl such as a pie plate. Submerge1 rice paper wrapper at a time in the hot water until moistend and softened but not completely pliable, about 5 seconds ( it will continue to soften as you work with it.).

6. Lay wrapper on work surface and put 1/2 lettuce leaf in center. Mound 1 portion of noodles on lettuce followed by about 1/10 of the cuk, carrot and apple slices; a few shrimp, 3 mint leaves ( I roughly chopped my mint so as not to get a big bite of mint) and 4 cilantro leaves.

Arrange ingredients into a rectangle about 4in. long. Fold paper over short ends of filling, then roll up tightly from a long side (just like a burrito). Repeat with remaining rolls. Serve with sauce.

Nutrition Info:
per serving

119 CAL., 1.8 G protein; 1.5 G fat; 24G carbo 1.1 G fiber; 29 MG sodium 0 MG chol.

Sweet and Spicy Sesame Sauce:

This sauce has quite a kick which we love! I left out the red chile flakes from the younger kids sauce. They loved it!

3 TBSP hoisin sauce

1 TBSP toasted sesame seeds

1 tsp red chili flakes

1 TBSP Asian (toasted) sesame oil (you can use sesame oil for stir fry's, salad dressings etc)

1 TBSP Tamari (similar but thicker than soy sauce, it is fermented and contains no MSG or preservatives)

1/2 cup hot water

Whisk all ingredients together in small bowl.

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Very Blueberry Smoothie

As the summer gets closer I had a request to make some low point fruit smoothies. This will be smoothie week!! A great way to get your recommended daily fruit intake. Blueberries are rich in antioxidants, fiber and high in vitamin C. Enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Quick BBQ Sauce

Making your own BBQ sauce is super simple. It's so much better for you than store bought jarred stuff. Most of these ingredients are common pantry staples so it's also much cheaper than buying a bottled BBQ sauce.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups ketchup

3/4 cup spicy brown mustard

1 onion finely grated

1/4 c. lemon juice

2 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

1 tbsp. Worcestershire

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 c. water

2 TBSP Grilling Seasoning



Combine all ingredients together in a sauce pot. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes whisking occasionally.
Use over chicken, shredded beef or pork.
Click here for my shredded chicken BBQ Sandwiches! Yummm Me!

Common Food Mistakes

I have known about this for some time. I used to think I was a conscious shopper, but labels can be very misleading. It's best to make your own bread and it's really not as hard as you think, especially if you have a KitchenAid or similar mixer. If you don't make your own at least be informed of the nutrition information on bread, cracker and cereal packaging. Here is a great tip I found here. Also see my recipes for easy, healthy bread and muffins.

Healthy eating tip No. 1: You reach for multigrain bread or cereal

You're standing in the grocery aisle, faced with a choice. On the one hand, there are the Thomas' English Muffins of your youth: White and filled with nooks and crannies practically screaming to be filled with pools of melted butter. On the other: Thomas' Hearty Grains English Muffins, which are "made with the goodness of whole grains." You reach, somewhat grudgingly, for the healthy option, since experts tell you that 50% of your grains should be whole grains.

What you don't realize is that unbleached wheat flour is the main ingredient; whole wheat flour is the third on the list, "indicating that the product contains relatively little," according to the CSPI


Foods labeled seven-grain or multigrain may seem like the healthiest choices — especially with new findings showing that a diet rich in whole grains protects against heart disease, cancer, and other ills.


The famed Nurses' Health Study documented lower rates of heart disease and stroke among whole grain eaters. Experts don't know all the reasons behind the benefits, but they do know that intact grains are rich in fiber and nutrients — including vitamin E, B vitamins, and magnesium — that are stripped away when grains are refined into flour.


Unfortunately, many foods are only posing as rich in whole grains. "Take a closer look at the labels and you may find there's not a single whole grain in them," says Cynthia Harriman, director of food and nutrition strategies for the Whole Grains Council, a nonprofit consumer group in Boston.

The reason: Labels can claim that products contain grains even if they're highly processed and stripped of most of their nutrients and all of their fiber. "White flour is made from grain, after all," says Harriman.

Smarter move

Learn the lingo of food claims. Bread that's 100 percent whole grain means just that — it contains no refined flour. Cereal that's made with whole grain may have a little or a lot. Crackers labeled multigrain may not have whole grains at all.

 To be sure you're getting the grains you want, check the ingredients panel. Whole grains should be the first or second ingredient listed. Luckily, finding whole-grain products is easier now that manufacturers supplying at least 16 grams of whole grains per serving — what's considered an excellent source — are stamping their packaging with the Whole Grains Council's logo.