Hot Ideas for Your Summer Fruit

Welcome to the August Issue of Cindy’s eNewsletter:

Jump on board with a healthier lifestyle for you and your family! Please LIKE my facebook page and read my weekly blog for everyday solutions to a healthier meal plan, grocery list and home kitchen. And, be sure to bookmark my website as a trusted destination for tasty and sensible nutrition and wellness.

Please note that I am an in-network provider of nutritional counseling for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina*. I am accepting new clients and will be delighted to help you achieve your health and nutrition goals. Contact Cindy for your first appointment today!

*Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

Easy Solutions: Meal Planning, Grocery Shopping, Simple Home Cooking

A Basketful of Summer Produce – Now What?

Shopping for healthy summer produce is one thing and figuring out what to do with it once you get home is another. Buy too much? Lacking inspiration to get into the kitchen and cook? Confused how to use it all up? Here’s some help.

Summer Ideas for Your Healthy Kitchen!

Corn on the cob –Rip off the husk and silk first. Option 1:Wrap in aluminum foil and roast on the grill for 7-10 min. turning twice. Option 2:Wrap in waxed paper and cook in microwave. Option 3:Carefully cut raw kernels off the cob using a sharp knife and cutting board. Cook in microwave with 1/2 inch water,a pinch of sugar and ground cumin.

Eggplant,zucchini,yellow summer squash –Wash and remove ends. Slice lengthwise into 1/4 inch thickness. Sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons olive oil and Italian herbs of choice. Grill about 6-8 min, turning twice.

Tomatoes –Wash,remove core and discard it. Option 1:Slice into 1/4 inch thickness. Layer with chickpea hummus and top with chopped fresh parsley. Option 2:Chop into bite-size pieces. Drizzle the top with a little olive oil and fresh lemon juice,and a pinch of salt and pepper. Option 3:Chop and add lots of them to your favorite pasta salad.

Fresh peaches –Wash,remove seed and discard it. Option 1:Slice into small wedges,sprinkle with ground cinnamon and a pinch of sugar. Option 2:Chop and mix into your chicken or turkey salad. Option 3:Chop and mix with vanilla yogurt.

Seasonal Choice: Blueberries!

Easy to grow in the Southeast, blueberry bushes add beautiful, perennial greenery to your yard’s landscaping and brilliant fall color when the leaves turn red and then drop. Whether you harvest your own, buy them from a local farmer or the supermarket, blueberries are a very smart choice. One cup of raw berries contains 84 calories, 0 fat, 4 grams fiber and 25% of the Daily Value for vitamin C. Their health-enhancing photochemicals make blueberries beneficial to the immune system and they can reduce chronic disease as well. For these health reasons and because they are sweet and delicious, make blueberries part of your healthy kitchen!

Recipe For You

Really Easy Blueberry Pancakes – 8 servings

Tip: I make half the batter into pancakes, refrigerate with a lid, wait 2 days and then make the rest. Tastes fresh and delicious both mornings!

Ingredients:

Heart Smart Bisquick –3 cups

Whole wheat flour –1 cup

1% Low fat milk –2  1/2 cups

Large eggs –2

Blueberries –1 cup

How to:

Mix all ingredients together, adding blueberries last. Do not over-mix.

Heat a flat skillet to medium and spray lightly with vegetable oil spray. Add batter to heated skillet using a soup ladle or large spoon.

Cook pancakes about 3 –4 minutes per side until pancakes are golden.

Top with a little syrup, powdered sugar or more blueberries.

Nutrition per serving: 270 calories; 5 gm fat; 1 gm saturated fat; 0 trans fat; 50 mg cholesterol; 430 mg sodium; 48 gm carbohydrates; 3 gm fiber; 10  gm protein

Creative Cooking Tip: Substitute fresh diced peaches for blueberries for a new flavor.

Handy Resource

Free Meal Planning Guide

Planning is about 90% of achieving a healthier lifestyle. And, what handier way to do it than with your laptop or desktop computer.

Here’s an online meal planner that makes tracking your daily food truly easy. Use it to plan ahead or as a daily recap. With this resource you can track calories, fat and/or carbohydrates. Everything is interactive as you plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. No more messy paper-and-pencil food diaries…yay!

Click here for the Meal Planner.

Now…Time to Get Started

Get Started on your Healthier Lifestyle today…you’ll be glad you did!

Need to expand your healthy lifestyle recipe file? Click here!

Need more ideas for healthy meals at home? Click here!

Reply to Cindy@MarketBasketNutrition.com

Market Basked Nutrition, PO Box , Winston-Salem, NC 27106